title: Time-to-antibiotic administration as a quality of care measure in children with febrile neutropenia: a survey of pediatric oncology centers.
abstract: Time-to-antibiotic administration (TTA) has been suggested as a quality-of-care (QOC) measure for pediatric oncology patients with febrile neutropenia (FN). Unknown, however, is to what extent pediatric oncology centers utilize TTA. Therefore, we designed and administered an electronic survey (68% response rate) of programs in the Children's Oncology Group to assess TTA utilization. Nearly half of respondents track TTA. Most reported using a benchmark of less than 60 min from arrival. TTA is a commonly used QOC measure for pediatric FN despite an absence of studies establishing its validity and a lack of data supporting its impact on outcomes of FN.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA. tim.mccavit@childrens.com
authors.forename: Timothy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: McCavit
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Winick
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010372:Pediatrics; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents