KPI-NW
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of a Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis Risk Calculator in the North West population
IRAS ID
326831
Contact name
Ajit Mahaveer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 21 days
Research summary
We are doing research to investigate a new way to decide if newborn babies are at risk of serious infection. Newborn babies are at risk of getting serious infections which can make them extremely unwell and, in some cases, can cause death or disability. Babies are at risk for serious infections because their immune systems are not fully developed. The current ways that the medical team pick up infection are too broad. We need to develop more selective methods to improve care delivered to babies and their parents.
Our research study is investigating a new, more individualised method to assess the risk of infection in babies. This new method uses a specialised calculator (the Kaiser Permanente infection calculator) to assess the risk of infection based on lots of pieces of information about the individual baby and their birth, such as, mother’s temperature in labour. Our hope is that by using this risk calculator we can ensure no cases of true infection are missed whilst reducing the number of babies who have blood tests and strong intravenous antibiotics in the first few days of their life. This calculator has been developed by the Kaiser Permanente group who are a large not-for-profit healthcare organisation based in California, USA (https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/who-we-are/fast-facts).
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/YH/0241
Date of REC Opinion
8 Dec 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion