Neutropenic Sepsis: Prevention and Management of Neutropenic Sepsis in Cancer Patients

Excerpt

Guidelines are recommendations for the care of individuals in specific clinical conditions or circumstances - and these can include prevention and self-care through to primary and secondary care and on to more specialised services. NICE clinical guidelines are based on the best available evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness, and are produced to help healthcare professionals and patients make informed choices about appropriate healthcare. While guidelines assist the practice of healthcare professionals, they do not replace their knowledge and skills.

In 2009 when this topic was commissioned, clinical guidelines for the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were produced in response to a request from the Department of Health (DH). Before deciding whether to refer a particular topic to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) they consult with the relevant patient bodies, professional organisations and companies. Once a topic is referred, NICE then commissions one of four National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) to produce a guideline. The Collaborating Centres are independent of government and comprise partnerships between a variety of academic institutions, health profession bodies and patient groups. The National Collaborating Centre for Cancer (NCC-C) was referred the topic of the prevention and management of neutropenic sepsis in cancer patients in October 2009 as part of NICE's twenty-third wave work programme. However, the guideline development process began officially in September 2010 when sufficient capacity became available at the NCC-C.