Harvard Pilgrim center to prevent hospital-acquired infections and improve sepsis care
RFA-CK20-004: Epicenter V: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute Center for Excellence in HAI Surveillance and Prevention
Researchers will analyze hospital records from hundreds of U.S. hospitals to find safer ways to treat sepsis, prevent non-ventilator hospital pneumonia, and reduce C. difficile among people admitted to hospitals.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Canton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11078177 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This center uses electronic health records from about 300 hospitals, including data on roughly one million sepsis admissions, to answer practical questions about inpatient infections. Teams will apply advanced statistical methods to study how timing of antibiotics and changes in antibiotic use affect survival and harms. They will also look at how many deaths from non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia could be prevented and ways to stop C. difficile infections. The work is based on large-scale patient records rather than enrolling new experimental treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The research most directly involves adults hospitalized with sepsis or suspected sepsis, patients who develop non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia, and patients at risk for C. difficile in participating hospitals.
Not a fit: People who are never hospitalized, treated outside the participating hospital systems, or whose care is not captured in the databases used may not see direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to safer antibiotic use, faster life-saving care for sepsis, and fewer hospital-acquired pneumonias and C. difficile infections.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has shown links between timely antibiotics and outcomes and has supported antibiotic stewardship, but this large multi-hospital analysis and causal approach addresses unresolved and practical questions.
Where this research is happening
Canton, UNITED STATES
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. — Canton, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Klompas, Michael — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
- Study coordinator: Klompas, Michael
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.