Early Identification of Severe Sepsis in Pediatric Patients Using an Electronic Alert System.

Introduction: Prompt sepsis recognition and the initiation of standardized treatment bundles lead to improved outcomes. We developed automated severe sepsis alerts through the electronic medical record and paging system to aid clinicians in rapidly identifying pediatric patients with severe sepsis in our emergency department and inpatient units. Our Specific, Measurable, Applicable, Realistic, Timely aim was to improve 1-hour severe sepsis treatment bundle compliance to 60% with these electronic interruptive alerts.

Implementation of an Inpatient Electronic Referral System (Opt-to-Quit) From the Electronic Health Record to the New York State Smokers' Quitline: First Steps.

Objectives: (1) To implement a new policy-driven referral program, Opt-to-Quit, using electronic data transfer from the electronic health record (EHR) to the New York State Smokers' Quitline (NYSSQL) and (2) to improve referrals to the NYSSQL for smoking caregivers of children admitted to a children's hospital.

Methods: Smoking caregivers of pediatric patients were referred to the NYSSQL through a standardized template built into the EHR, during the child's hospitalization or emergency department encounter. Direct data exchange was based on a point-to-point protocol, without dependence on any external centralized processing service.