About

About

The iSample project is an NIHR-funded research study that aims to create a bundle of interventions to optimise blood culture sampling for patients with suspected severe infection in acute care in England. Blood culture sampling is important for clinical decision making so that patients can receive the best infection specific antibiotic at the earliest stage of their treatment, and to reduce antibiotic overuse. Up to half of hospital patients do not have blood samples taken when antibiotics are started.

The iSample project is being conducted in 3 NHS Trusts in England – University Hospitals Leicester, Kettering General Hospital, and University College London Hospitals. The project started in January 2024 and will end in July 2026.

The study has several components:

This research project developed through:

Part 1 a
Analysis of routine hospital data

Quantitative analysis of routine hospital data from three NHS trusts-University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust; Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
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Part 1 b
Survey of healthcare professionals

A national survey of health professionals’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences of blood sampling will be undertaken.
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Part 1 c
An ethnographic study of blood sampling practice

An in-depth ethnographic study will take place in three NHS trusts to identify the organisational, social and behavioural influences on reliability of blood sampling.
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Part 2
Embedded co-design and

evaluation of feasibility of interventions

We work along with patients and public involvement (PPI) and expert advisory group meetings, and produce diverse outputs including recommendations for policy, presentations to stakeholders, academic papers, video outputs to share findings with staff, patients and the public.
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12 workshops

Co-design workshops

3 month interventions

Evaluation and disseminations

Meetings

PPI and expert advisory
group meetings

Part 1 a Analysis of routine hospital data

Part 1 b Survey of healthcare professionals

Part 1 c An ethnographic study of blood sampling practice

Part 2 Embedded co-design and