The CHRISTUS Children’s Main Emergency Department successfully implemented two key initiatives to improve pediatric patient care through enhanced sepsis recognition and streamlined

CHRISTUS Children’s Emergency Department

nurse-initiated sepsis alerts within the electronic health record. These efforts resulted in eight consecutive quarters of meeting antibiotic administration goals, with 871 patients identified through sepsis screening or alerts. Most notably, in the final quarter of 2025, the ED managed 170 full sepsis pathway patients, the highest quarterly volume achieved, while also reaching its fastest average antibiotic administration time of just 38 minutes.

The second initiative focused on reducing blood culture contamination rates through targeted staff education, reinforcement of best practices and coaching on policy requirements for blood culture collection. These efforts led to sustained contamination rates below 1 percent from January 2024 through December 2025. The achievement reflects the 39-bed emergency department’s commitment to clinical excellence, patient safety and the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based care.