In this single-center study, implementation of sepsis protocols designed to expedite bundle delivery resulted in only a small fraction of patients receiving antibiotics within 1 hour of triage.

This study validates the fact that administration of antibiotics in compliance with CMS measures (< 3 hours) is feasible while the administration of antibiotics within 1 hour of triage would require a complete overhaul of our current practices for all patients arriving with stable vital signs and/or vague nonspecific symptoms which could have a negative impact on patients not being evaluated for sepsis. While this study will need external replication, it adds evidence regarding the feasibility (or lack thereof) of being able to deliver antibiotics within 1 hour of presentation for patients with sepsis. Despite education and institution of protocols, it may be logistically unrealistic to implement a 1-hour goal for administration of antibiotics to patients with sepsis. Before further efforts are made to meet this benchmark, real data proving benefit are necessary.

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