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Structured, proactive care coordination versus usual care for Improving Morbidity during Post-Acute Care Transitions for Sepsis (IMPACTS): a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial

M. Kowalkowski, Shih-Hsiung Chou, Andrew McWilliams, C. Lashley, Stephanie Murphy, W. Rossman, A. Papali, A. Heffner et al.

Trials, 2019

708 participants · 24 citations

Abstract

AbstractsBackgroundHospital mortality for patients with sepsis has recently declined, but sepsis survivors still suffer from significant long-term mortality and morbidity. There are limited data that support effective strategies to address post-discharge management of patients hospitalized with sepsis.MethodsThe Improving Morbidity during Post-Acute Care Transitions for Sepsis (IMPACTS) study is a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial at three hospitals within a single healthcare delivery system comparing clinical outcomes between sepsis survivors who receive usual care versus care delivered through the Sepsis Transition and Recovery (STAR) program. The STAR program includes a centrally located nurse navigator using telephone counseling and electronic health record-based support to facilitate best-practice post-sepsis care strategies for patients during hospitalization and the 30 days after hospital discharge, including post-discharge review of medications, evaluation for new impairments or symptoms, monitoring existing comorbidities, and palliative care referral when appropriate. Adults admitted through the Emergency Department with suspected infection (i.e., antibiotics initiated, bacterial cultures drawn) and deemed, by previously developed risk-stratification models, high risk for readmission or death are included. Eligible patients are randomly allocated 1:1 to either Arm 1, usual care or Arm 2, STAR. Planned enrollment is 708 patients during a 6-month period. The…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 708 participants or records.

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