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With fever being the most common manifestation of early sepsis, clinical practice guidelines emphasise the prompt institution of broad-spectrum antibacterial therapy at its onset. An audit was performed on the haematology ward to determine whether there was any delay in starting antibiotic treatment during neutropenia in clinical patients and to define the main reasons for this. Strategies were developed, implemented and evaluated on short- and long-term implications on the delay in the start of antibacterial therapy. The procedures specified in the protocol for starting empirical antibacterial therapy were audited to assess whether the target for starting therapy within 30 min of fever was achieved. Initial results indicated that two major changes to the protocol were necessary to achieve a reduction in the delay between detection of fever and starting antibacterial therapy. This modified protocol was evaluated 4 months after implementation by means of a consecutive audit. After 3 years, a third audit was performed to determine the long-term implications of the improved protocol. In the initial audit, the mean time interval between the onset of fever and the administration of antibacterial therapy was 75 min. With the modified protocol, the mean time to starting therapy was shortened to 32 min (P < 0.05). Changing the protocol for starting antibacterial therapy allowed nurses to administer the first dose of antibiotic significantly earlier., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Goals of Work: Empirical antibiotic therapy usually started in patients who are neutropenic following treatment with cytostatic chemotherapy for a haematological malignancy as soon as fever develops to forestall fulminant sepsis. Hence, accurate and timely detection of fever is crucial to the successful management of infectious complications in these patients. We report an investigation of the feasibility and validity of continuous non-invasive body temperature measurement., Patients and Methods: The feasibility of non-invasive continuous measurement of the skin temperature was investigated using the Propaq(R) device in a cohort of 33 patients receiving an allogeneic HSCT who were all at risk of developing a febrile episode. Non-invasive continuous measurement of the skin temperature (CST) was compared with a standard episodic axillary temperature measurement (EAT) five times daily using a Terumo(R) device. The study period entailed monitoring during the 10 or 12 days that profound neutropenia was expected to be present., Main Results: Measuring the skin temperature continuously and accurately by using the Propaq(R) was feasible. The CST correlated well with the EAT measurements (Pearson r = 0.782). Compared to EAT, the start of empirical therapy could be started 2.5 h earlier when relying on continuous measurements than was possible with EAT., Conclusion: Continuous skin temperature measurements are feasible and valid compared to the conventional temperature measurement and may improve the management of infections by earlier detection of fever in neutropenic patients.