Appropriate and timely antibiotic administration has been shown to decrease mortality in a variety of infectious conditions. While the while the optimal timing of antibiotic administration is not known, goals have been established for performance in the ICU and the ED.

This measure is defined as the median time in minutes to the administration of broad-spectrum antibiotic(s) from the time of presentation.

Note: While there are specific goals listed for the ICU and the ED in the Severe Sepsis Bundles, this measure ascertains the median time in minutes to antibiotic administration. This allows for assessment of the reliability of compliance with the goals outlined in the bundle.

Decrease the amount of time it takes to deliver broad-spectrum antibiotics to severely septic patients to 1 hour or less for patients admitted to the ICU and 3 hours or less for patients admitted to the ED.

Data may be collected concurrently — that is, once a patient is placed on the hospital’s severe sepsis protocol, data can be abstracted from the patient chart in real time — or retrospectively using a chart review, a method generally recommended for more experienced improvement teams.