Assessment of Delay in Door-to-antibiotic Administration Time after Arrival to the Hospital among Post-chemotherapy Febrile Neutropenia Patients: A Cohort Study

Introduction: Febrile Neutropenia (FN), a common side effect of chemotherapy, is regarded as an oncologic emergency necessitating prompt treatment. A delay in door -to -antibiotic administration time is associated with poor patient outcomes. Aim: To assess the time lag in the administration of antibiotics after arrival at the hospital in patients with solid/haematological malignancy presenting with post -chemotherapy FN. Materials and Methods: This was a cohort study conducted in the Department of Medical Oncology at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, over a period of one year from December 2019 to November 2020 among 80 patients with solid or haematological malignancy who presented with fever and Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) <1000/mm 3 to the Outpatient Department (OPD) or the Emergency Department and were diagnosed with FN post -chemotherapy. Upon obtaining consent, these patients were enrolled, and the timing of antibiotic administration was noted for the study participants. The participants were further followed -up for the assessment of morbidity {in terms of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission)}, duration of hospital stay, delay in the further chemotherapy schedule, and survival status. Data was entered into MS Excel and analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. Associations were established using Chi-square tests. Results: Out of a total of 80 study participants, the mean +/- SD age was 45.6 +/- 18.3 years, and the number of males was 43 (53.8%). Total 57 (71.25%) patients were on chemotherapy for solid organ malignancies. The median delay in door -to -antibiotic time was 120 minutes (ranging from 30 to 260 minutes). The median day of presentation with FN after chemotherapy was day 7. Delay in antibiotic administration was found to have a significant impact on the further chemotherapy schedule and doses (p=0.004). However, ICU admission rates (p=0.133), length of hospital stay (p=0.662), and mortality (p=0.201) were not significantly associated with the delay in antibiotic administration. Conclusion: The adoption of standardised algorithms and protocols for the management of FN and ensuring timely health-seeking by the patients shall help reduce the delay in Time -to-antibiotic Administration (TTA).