PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Fever and neutropenia is the most common complication in the treatment of childhood cancer. This review will summarize recent publications that focus on improving the management of this condition as well as those that seek to optimize translational research efforts.

RECENT FINDINGS

A number of clinical decision rules are available to assist in the identification of low-risk fever and neutropenia however few have undergone external validation and formal impact analysis. Emerging evidence suggests acute fever and neutropenia management strategies should include time to antibiotic recommendations, and quality improvement initiatives have focused on eliminating barriers to early antibiotic administration. Despite reported increases in antimicrobial resistance, few studies have focused on the prediction, prevention, and optimal treatment of these infections and the effect on risk stratification remains unknown. A consensus guideline for paediatric fever and neutropenia research is now available and may help reduce some of the heterogeneity between studies that have previously limited the translation of evidence into clinical practice.

SUMMARY

Risk stratification is recommended for children with cancer and fever and neutropenia. Further research is required to quantify the overall impact of this approach and to refine exactly which children will benefit from early antibiotic administration as well as modifications to empiric regimens to cover antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Management of fever and neutropenia in paediatric cancer patients: room for improvement?

Implementation of a Nursing Based Order Set: Improved Antibiotic Administration Times for Pediatric ED Patients with Therapy-Induced Neutropenia and Fever

BACKGROUND Fever in the setting of neutropenia is a potentially life-threatening complication of cancer treatment. A time of less than 60 minutes from presentation to antibiotic administration is therefore recommended. OBJECTIVE To use Lean Six Sigma methodology, a quality improvement initiative, to improve time to antibiotics (TTA) for children with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia presenting to the emergency department. METHODS Lean Six Sigma is a quality improvement method that engages all impacted stakeholders and focuses on streamlining the process by removing process wastes. Stakeholders identified multiple process wastes in an in-depth study of 49 fever episodes in patients attending a tertiary care pediatric hospital, including patients waiting to be registered, waiting for laboratory technicians, delay in accessing central venous access device, waiting for absolute neutrophil count, and delayed antibiotics orders. We implemented multiple solutions: engaging patients in the process through predischarge tours of the emergency department, home application of topical anesthetic, nurse-initiated pathway, early access of central venous access device for all blood work, and planned antibiotic administration no later than 45 minutes after triage. We prospectively determined the impact of these interventions on TTA. RESULTS The TTA significantly improved to a median of 59 minutes (interquartile range, 38.5-77.5 minutes) compared with the baseline of 99 minutes (interquartile range, 72.0-132.0 minutes; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Lean methodology effectively identifies barriers and provides solutions to remove barriers and improve administration of antibiotics in febrile oncology patients. These can be widely applied, including in smaller institutions with minimal increased utilization of resources.

Improving Time to Antibiotics for Pediatric Oncology Patients With Fever and Suspected Neutropenia by Applying Lean Principles.

Addressing the barriers to optimal management of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical pathway in achieving antibiotic administration in less than 60 minutes for children with cancer, presenting with fever and neutropenia. Secondary objectives were to determine association between time to antibiotics (TTA) and other variables including fever duration, location of care and intravenous access types. METHODS Following introduction of the clinical pathway, we collected prospective data about management of all cases that did and did not use the pathway across multiple sites over 16 months. A follow-up audit was conducted after 12 months. RESULTS We evaluated a total of 453 presentations. Use of the clinical pathway was significantly associated with achieving TTA in less than 60 minutes (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.56-0.85, p = <0.001). Despite varying use of the pathway over time, the median time to antibiotics was achieved in both the initial study period (57 minutes) and sustained at follow-up (60 minutes). TTA was also associated with types of intravenous access device and location of care and with length of stay. We did not find any association between TTA and any other variables. CONCLUSION Clinical pathways improve fever management in this patient cohort. Ongoing education and auditing to identify factors which impact processes of care are necessary.

Improving management of fever in neutropenic children with cancer across multiple sites

Febrile neutropenia remains a common, life-threatening complication of chemotherapy in paediatric oncology. Delays in institution of empiric antibiotics have been identified at tertiary and regional centres caring for these patients and associated with decreased survival. Our objective was to reduce the time to administration of empiric antibiotics to less than 60 min from the time of presentation to hospital. A retrospective study of the records of oncology patients presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital over a 3-month period was performed and time to first antibiotic administration recorded. Potential causes of delay in commencement of antibiotics were identified and an algorithm-based approach to the management of fever in immunocompromised children developed and implemented. Follow-up evaluation data were collected at 12 and 60 months post-intervention. Causes of delay in commencement of antibiotics at regional hospitals that share care with the tertiary hospital were identified through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, involving patients and medical and nursing staff. The impact of the introduction of the algorithm at one peripheral hospital was evaluated. The mean time to empiric antibiotics was reduced from 148 min (95 % confidence interval (CI) 81–216) at baseline to 76 min (95 % CI 50–101) at 12 months post-intervention and sustained at 65 min (95 % CI 52–77) 5 years after the intervention. At the peripheral hospital, mean time to antibiotic delivery was reduced from 221 min (95 % CI 114–328) to 65 min (95 % CI 42–87) at 12 months after the intervention. The introduction of the guideline, with teaching and support for staff and parents, resulted in an improvement in practice, meeting international guidelines and achieving sustained results at 5 years after introduction at a tertiary hospital. The guideline has been shown to be feasible and effective at a regional hospital.

Management of fever and neutropenia in children with cancer

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Management of fever and neutropenia in children with cancer