Text alert service helps in fight against sepsis

The new system, whereby a text message warning system alerts doctors to cases of sepsis, has led to a seven-fold increase in the number of patients being prescribed life-saving drugs.

The alerts, developed by Cambridge University Hospitals, have proven so successful during their 24 month pilot that there are now plans to expand the system to other hospitals throughout the UK.

Recent new figures have shown that the number of patients losing their lives in English hospitals to the disease has jumped by a third in two years. Overcrowded wards and staff shortages have been held to blame for the increase.

This alert system works by analysing patients’ observations, with the information recorded by staff on handheld devices. The observations include pulse, blood pressure, temperature and level of consciousness. If the observations suggest a possible case of sepsis, a text-message warning appears on the doctor’s handheld device.

The system was introduced to Cambridge University Hospitals Trust at the A&E Unit of Addenbrookes in August 2012. The year before, only 11 per cent of patients with possible sepsis were prescribed antibiotics within one hour of arriving at A&E. This increased to 76 per cent by August 2016. The figure has since ranged from 72 to 86 per cent.

Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, Dr Ron Daniels, said “It’s fantastic that Addenbrookes are building a system that draws clinicans’ attention to the warning signs of sepsis according to accepted national scoring systems.”

NHS England’s Professor Tony Young, said “We are working harder than ever to spread the learning from cutting-edge local solutions further across the NHS.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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