International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health

Aim:  To determine the effect of the EASY (Early Attention to Sepsis in the Young) protocol on sepsis outcomes in children admitted into the children's emergency unit.

Methodology: Sixty participants (24 males and 36 females) aged 1 month - 16 years were recruited into two arms- The EASY protocol and the non-EASY protocol (control) arm. The researchers obtained relevant treatment history and clinical and laboratory data, which were analyzed statistically using SPSS version 25.

Results: Twenty-five (80%) patients on EASY protocol received saline boluses compared to 5 (16.7%) in the control group. The difference was significant: χ2 = 24.09, p ˂ .001. Similarly, more patients on EASY (10; 33.3%) than the control (3; 10.0%) received continuous positive airway pressure: χ2 = 4.81, p = .03.

Where the symptoms were predominantly restricted to one organ system, those on EASY protocol spent less time in the emergency unit (0.98 ± 0.43 days) than the control (1.87 ± 0.97 days): F = 13.02, p = .001. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the overall duration of hospital admission in both groups: t = 1.33, p = 0.20.

In the EASY arm, the particular EASY treatment used correlated with the presence of underlying chronic disease and the approximate duration of current illness; p= 0.001, R²= 0.37 - 0.59; as well as the presence of abnormal blood cell counts; p= 0.022, R²= 0.39 - 0.64.

Conclusion: The EASY protocol increased the intensity of treating children with sepsis in the emergency unit and reduced the critical phase.