Mrs Rebecca Schultz1, Ms Debbie Glover1
1NT Health Public and Primary Health Care Central Region, Alice Springs, Australia
The release of NT Sepsis Clinical Pathways has coincided with the new National Sepsis Clinical Standard and the release of the current version of the CARPA Standard Treatment Manual. The CARPA manual has included Vancomycin as part of the “Early Recognition of Sepsis” protocol. In all sepsis guidelines it is emphasised that once sepsis is recognised, time to first dose antibiotic is crucial. Poor recognition of sepsis has been the main contributing factor to the excess mortality and morbidity observed in sepsis in the NT.
With the introduction of both the NT sepsis pathway and the use of Vancomycin within the CARPA manual, it was recognised that a resource was required to increase awareness of the pathway and encourage staff to think about sepsis diagnosis and management. NT Health Central Region Primary and Public Health Care introduced “sepsis antibiotic kits” and sepsis folders into remote health centres. These kits and folder contain starter doses of Vancomycin and Meropenum, hardcopy sepsis pathways, administration information, sepsis information for health professionals and usage tracking forms. All administration of Vancomycin and Meropenum is tracked via a live database with usage reviewed to ensure appropriateness and antimicrobial stewardship.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health concern in the Northern Territory with the NT having the worst rates of MRSA in Australia. Antimicrobial resistance is increasing over time due to sanitation in remote communities and antibiotic pressure. Strong antimicrobial stewardship is vital to avoid harmful patient outcomes and increased healthcare costs. These innovative kits (colloquially called cake tines) and usage tracking work to both increase awareness of sepsis but also ensure antimicrobial stewardship is achieved remotely and with support from a transient workforce
Biography:
Debbie Glover RN is the remote primary health care professional practice nurse for the Central Australia. Deb manages a diverse and challenging portfolio including the pathway for implementing research evidence into remote health centres. Her role has been instrumental in improving the recognition and management of sepsis in remote Central Australia. Deb has been a remote area nurse for 20 years.