Improving Morbidity During Post-Acute Care Transitions for Sepsis

Summary

The purpose of this study is to improve transitions of care for the highest risk, complex patients with suspected sepsis. Atrium Health has developed a nurse-navigator facilitated care transition strategy, called the Sepsis Transition and Recovery (STAR) program, to improve the implementation of recommended care practices and bridge care gaps for patients in the post-sepsis transition period. During their hospitalization, STAR program patients enter into a transition pathway facilitated by a centrally located nurse navigator and including the following evidence-based post-sepsis care components: i) review and recommendation for adjustment of medications; ii) identification of and referral for new physical, mental, and cognitive deficits; iii) surveillance for treatable conditions that commonly lead to poor outcomes; and iv) referral to palliative care when appropriate. IMPACTS (Improving Morbidity during Post-Acute Care Transitions for Sepsis) is a pragmatic, randomized program evaluation to compare clinical outcomes between sepsis survivors who receive usual care versus care delivered through the STAR program following hospitalization. IMPACTS will test the hypothesis that patients that receive care through STAR will have decreased composite all cause, 30-day hospital readmission and mortality compared to patients that receive usual care.

Conditions

• Clinical Sepsis

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Sepsis Transition And Recovery (STAR)

In the STAR program intervention, a centrally located nurse navigator facilitates the application of four evidence-based core components of post-sepsis care (i.e., review of medications, new impairments, comorbidities, and palliative care) to patients prior to and during the 30 days after hospital discharge. The STAR navigator will provide telephone and EHR-based support within the hospitalization and to patients across all discharge settings with remote monitoring at specified intervals following hospital discharge. Patients will continue to receive STAR directed services for 30 days following their discharge and then will be transitioned back to the next appropriate care location.

BEHAVIORAL

Usual care

Patients and their providers will not have access to the STAR program. Patients will continue to receive usual care throughout their stay and discharge, consisting of: patient education and follow-up instructions at discharge, which are not specific to sepsis; routine recommendations for follow-up visits with primary care providers; arrangements for home health services or care management follow-up based on each patient's needs but not specifically tailored to the sepsis population; discharge to post-acute setting with no sepsis-specific follow-up. All aspects of usual care will be determined by treating clinicians independent of trial assignment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Wake Forest University Health Sciences

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marc Kowalkowski, PhD · Wake Forest University Health Sciences

• Stephanie P Taylor, MD · Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-01-29

Primary Completion

2020-12-31

Completion

2021-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations