Core Outcome Measures in Bloodstream infection Antimicrobial Trials (COMBAT) in children

Duration: January 2019 –

Funding Source: None

Chief Investigators: Adam Irwin, Sophie Wen, Lars Eriksson, Luregn Schlapbach, Julia Clarke, Anita Campbell, Asha C Bowen, Chris Blyth, Henry Chambers, David Paterson

HDR Student: Dr Sophie Wen

Aim

This research aims to define core outcome sets for future antimicrobial clinical trials in children with bloodstream infections, incorporating important patient reported outcome measures. 

Background

There are limited numbers of antimicrobial clinical trials conducted in children and there is significant variability in trial reporting, which reduces the comparability of findings and subsequent challenges for translation into clinical practice. Core outcome sets (COS) are an agreed standard set of outcomes that all clinical trials should, at a minimum, measure and report on for a specific area of health.

Key clinical challenges include:

• There are currently no uniform outcome measures defined for antimicrobial trials of bloodstream infections in children
• There is also often a lack of consumer involvement in the development of COS

Impact

In order for clinicians to confidently interpret the relevance of trial findings for their patients and setting, the selection and reporting of COS is crucial. Our research will define a COS for future antimicrobial clinical trials in children with bloodstream infections, incorporating important patient reported outcome measures.  A scoping review protocol is published online: https://osf.io/wchx8/