Effect of Education on Resident Physician Knowledge of Sepsis

A questionnaire was provided, including clinical vignettes and free text answers, to assess and evaluate the ability of resident physicians to identify systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, and severe sepsis. Questionnaire scores were compared between specialties. A whole-hospital educational campaign was provided with the aim to improve sepsis recognition, and the questionnaire survey was repeated after one year to assess the effect of the education on the recognition of sepsis.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sepsis; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Sepsis Education

Detailed Description

Sepsis is the number one cause of mortality in US hospitals. An aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of resident physicians with different training backgrounds to recognize SIRS, sepsis, and severe sepsis. A survey assessment of the definition of SIRS, sepsis, and severe sepsis was administered to internal medicine, emergency room, orthopedic, neurosurgery, and general surgery residents. Then, an intensive educational campaign designed to improve recognition of the patient with sepsis was launched. For approximately 1 year, posters with this educational information were displayed in the hospital, one-on-one educational sessions were provided to residents, and didactic sessions focusing on sepsis were conducted. The survey was then redesigned and administered it to the same groups as described previously.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 239
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Resident physician in an University of Utah training program

Exclusion Criteria:

Not willing to participate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

5

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Internal Medicine Residents; Sepsis education provided to internal medicine residents	Other: Sepsis Education; Education provided to hospital residents for the recognition and treatment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis and severe sepsis
Other: Emergency Medicine Residents; Sepsis education provided to emergency medicine residents	Other: Sepsis Education; Education provided to hospital residents for the recognition and treatment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis and severe sepsis
Other: Orthopedic Residents; Sepsis education provided to orthopedic residents	Other: Sepsis Education; Education provided to hospital residents for the recognition and treatment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis and severe sepsis
Other: Neurosurgery Residents; Sepsis education provided to neurosurgery residents	Other: Sepsis Education; Education provided to hospital residents for the recognition and treatment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis and severe sepsis
Other: General Surgery Residents; Sepsis education provided to general surgery residents	Other: Sepsis Education; Education provided to hospital residents for the recognition and treatment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis and severe sepsis

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in sepsis recognition and treatment survey score	Questionnaire scores assessing sepsis recognition and treatment at baseline compared to a similar survey following one year of whole-hospital educational campaign, across groups of residents of different training backgrounds	Baseline and 1 Year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Utah
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Devin J Horton, MD, University of Utah

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Poeze M, Ramsay G, Gerlach H, Rubulotta F, Levy M. An international sepsis survey: a study of doctors' knowledge and perception about sepsis. Crit Care. 2004 Dec;8(6):R409-13. doi: 10.1186/cc2959. Epub 2004 Oct 14.
• Assuncao M, Akamine N, Cardoso GS, Mello PV, Teles JM, Nunes AL, Maia MO, Rea-Neto A, Machado FR; SEPSES Study Group. Survey on physicians' knowledge of sepsis: do they recognize it promptly? J Crit Care. 2010 Dec;25(4):545-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2010.03.012. Epub 2010 Jun 19.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: July 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 5, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 5, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): October 6, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 6, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 5, 2016
• Last Verified: October 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Infections; Inflammation; Shock; Sepsis; Toxemia; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: 00075424

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: If requested, will share with other authors or institutions