A Quality Improvement Project to Reduce Antibiotic Utilization and Ancillary Laboratory Tests in the Appraisal of Early-Onset Sepsis in the NICU.

Background: Diagnosis and treatment of early-onset sepsis (EOS) of the newborn remains a controversial issue among providers due to the non-infectious symptomology which exists in the newborn period.

Methods: Pre/post interventional quality improvement project in a level III NICU to reduce antibiotic utilization and ancillary laboratory tests with the introduction of an evidence-based guideline for the evaluation of EOS in the NICU.

Results: Primary outcome measures include mean number of empiric antibiotic treatment days and utilization rate (AUR), number of laboratory tests ordered, and incidence of unwarranted antibiotic therapy beyond the 48-h rule out period.