Impact of Kaiser permanente early-onset sepsis risk calculator implementation in hospitals, England: pre-post intervention cohort analysis
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Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objective To investigate the impact of transition from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines to Kaiser Permanente Neonatal Sepsis Risk Calculator (KP-SRC) on early-onset sepsis (EOS) diagnosis and mortality.
Study design Pre–post intervention analysis across 16 NHS hospital Trusts in England (2015–2023) 18 months before and after NICE to KP-SRC transition. Liveborn infants of any gestational age (N=222 122) were extracted from Hospital Episode Statistics and linked to national microbiological data and birth and death registrations.
Main outcomes Cases were identified within first 3 days of life during birth admission or first 7 days if readmitted and defined microbiologically (positive microbiology from normally sterile site) or clinically (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes). Deaths occurring within the neonatal period attributable to EOS and proportion of EOS cases diagnosed during readmission were identified.
Results There was no evidence of an increase in late diagnosis of EOS after KP-SRC implementation across hospitals combined, with the proportion of microbiologically confirmed cases diagnosed on readmission similar to pre-implementation (9.6% vs 10.8%; p=0.67). Variation between hospitals was observed, with non-significant increases in readmission diagnosis (vs diagnosis in birth episode) post implementation in 9 of 15. There was no difference in mortality for microbiologically confirmed cases or deaths based on clinical diagnosis though the study was not powered for these outcomes.
Conclusion No overall increase in late diagnoses due to EOS was observed after switching to KP-SRC but variation between hospitals, including non-significant increases in readmission diagnoses in some, injects caution and underscores the importance of local monitoring post implementation.
Study design Pre–post intervention analysis across 16 NHS hospital Trusts in England (2015–2023) 18 months before and after NICE to KP-SRC transition. Liveborn infants of any gestational age (N=222 122) were extracted from Hospital Episode Statistics and linked to national microbiological data and birth and death registrations.
Main outcomes Cases were identified within first 3 days of life during birth admission or first 7 days if readmitted and defined microbiologically (positive microbiology from normally sterile site) or clinically (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes). Deaths occurring within the neonatal period attributable to EOS and proportion of EOS cases diagnosed during readmission were identified.
Results There was no evidence of an increase in late diagnosis of EOS after KP-SRC implementation across hospitals combined, with the proportion of microbiologically confirmed cases diagnosed on readmission similar to pre-implementation (9.6% vs 10.8%; p=0.67). Variation between hospitals was observed, with non-significant increases in readmission diagnosis (vs diagnosis in birth episode) post implementation in 9 of 15. There was no difference in mortality for microbiologically confirmed cases or deaths based on clinical diagnosis though the study was not powered for these outcomes.
Conclusion No overall increase in late diagnoses due to EOS was observed after switching to KP-SRC but variation between hospitals, including non-significant increases in readmission diagnoses in some, injects caution and underscores the importance of local monitoring post implementation.
Date Issued
2026-07-03
Date Acceptance
2026-06-06
Citation
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 2026
ISSN
1359-2998
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition
Copyright Statement
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1136/archdischild-2026-330444
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2026-07-03