About the study

Our project aims to learn how hospitals are improving outcomes for patients with sepsis. To do this, we’ll visit hospitals to meet with sepsis coordinators, clinicians, and administrators, observe committee meetings, and review quality improvement materials.

Each site visit will last about a day and a half and include interviews and direct observation. All information will be carefully analyzed, with any identifiable details fully de-identified.

By gathering insights and lessons learned across hospitals, we hope to shine a light on effective approaches to sepsis care and share strategies that can strengthen quality improvement efforts nationwide.

This study is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 

STANDARD
Nicholas Mohr, portrait

Principal Investigator

Nicholas Mohr, MD, MS
Heather Reisinger, PhD

Principal Investigator

Heather Schacht Reisinger, PhD
Brett Faine

Principal Investigator

Brett Faine, PharmD, MS
Anne Zepeski

Program Coordinator

Anne Zepeski, PharmD, BCEMP

More Information

Information for Sites

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need a “memorandum of understanding” or any formal agreement before a site visit?

  • No. There’s no formal agreement required to take part in the study. We’ll simply ask for applicable leadership to agree to a site visit, and we’ll request individual consent from anyone who participates in qualitative interviews.

 

Will our hospital be identified in any materials or reporting from the site visit?

  • No. Everything collected during site visits will be fully de-identified. Neither individuals nor hospitals will be named. In qualitative analyses, participants will only be referenced by role (e.g., “Sepsis Coordinator”), never by name.

 

Does our site need IRB approval before the visit?

  • No. The STANDARD Study has been approved by the University of Iowa Institutional Review Board and IRB approval is not needed at individual hospitals to maintain compliance with IRB requirements. 

 

Do we need to prepare sepsis metrics or other data before the visit?

  • No. Our site visits focus solely on interviews about your hospital’s sepsis quality-improvement and implementation work. We won’t request performance reports, SEP-1 metrics, or any patient-level information. 

 

Is there compensation for participating in a site visit?

  • Yes. Each site that participates in a STANDARD Study site visit will receive $1,000. Sites may use the funds in whatever way they choose.

     

How long are the interviews, and who conducts them?

  • Interviews typically last about 20–30 minutes. Two members of the STANDARD Study team, a medical anthropologist and a clinician, will conduct the interviews.

 

Can our site be included in publications from the STANDARD Study?

  • If your site is interested, it can be acknowledged in study-related publications. 

 

 

 

Contact Us

Questions? Email our team at STANDARD-Study@uiowa.edu