Abstract
Sepsis is a life-threatening infection that affects over 1.7 million Americans annually. Low-volume rural hospitals have worse sepsis outcomes, and emergency department (ED)-based telemedicine (tele-ED) has been one promising strategy for improving rural sepsis care. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of tele-ED consultation on sepsis care and outcomes in rural ED patients. The TELEvISED study is a multicenter (n = 25) retrospective propensity-matched comparative effectiveness study of tele-ED care for rural sepsis patients in a mature tele-ED network. Telemedicine-exposed patients will be matched with non telemedicine patients using a propensity score to predict tele-ED use. The primary outcome is 28-day hospital free days, and secondary outcomes include adherence with guidelines, mortality and organ failure. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04441944.