Outpatient care for patients with neutropenia. Information for patients Weston Park Hospital

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1 Outpatient care for patients with neutropenia Information for patients Weston Park Hospital

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3 Information for patients who have neutropenia and are going home with oral antibiotics. What is neutropenia? Neutrophils are white blood cells that fight infection. Neutropenia is a drop in the number of neutrophil blood cells. The normal count of neutrophils in the blood is between 1.5 and 5.5. A count below 1 is called neutropenia. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy can lower the number of blood cells produced in the body. This includes the neutrophils. The neutrophil count is usually at its lowest 5 to 14 days after cancer treatment but this can vary between different chemotherapy drugs. This is why you need to contact us if you have any symptoms of infection while you are having chemotherapy. The neutrophil count will slowly rise back to the usual level over a few days. What can happen if I have neutropenia? If the number of neutrophils in your blood is low you will not be able to fight infections. Patients with neutropenia who develop an infection can become seriously ill very quickly. In some cases this can be life threatening. Some people who have neutropenia are more at risk of becoming seriously ill than other people. This may be because they have other illnesses as well as their cancer. They may have a more severe infection. All patients with neutropenia can become seriously ill if they are not treated quickly with the right antibiotics. page 3 of 8

4 Why can I go home if I have neutropenic sepsis? The doctor has decided that your risk of becoming seriously ill due to your infection is low at the moment. You have been started on a course of antibiotic tablets. These will help your body fight your infection. To make sure you are safe to go home your doctor will also have checked the following with you: You have someone at home who can look after you You have someone who can bring you back to the hospital if you become unwell You do not need hospital transport to bring you back to the hospital You understand that you need to come back to the hospital if you become unwell or poorly in any way You agree to check your temperature with a thermometer every six hours You agree to contact us straight away if it reaches 37.5 C or higher If you are not able to do any of these you will need to stay in hospital. We will make sure you are no longer at risk of becoming seriously ill from your infection before we send you home. Patients who are low risk can still become seriously ill very quickly even when taking antibiotics. You must contact us straight away if you become more poorly or unwell, if you have a temperature above 37.5 C or you develop any new symptoms. What do I need to take home with me? Antibiotic tablets Patient information leaflet Thermometer - if you have not got one at home Specimen pots page 4 of 8

5 Why have I been given specimen pots to take home? Patients who have neutropenia are at higher risk of developing bowel infections. One of the signs of a bowel infection is diarrhoea. Antibiotics can also cause diarrhoea. If you develop diarrhoea we need to send a specimen of this to the laboratory. This will help us to find out the cause of the diarrhoea. We can then make sure you get the correct treatment. If you develop diarrhoea please contact Weston Park Hospital. The pot we have given you can be used to collect a sample of your diarrhoea. We will tell you where to take this when you contact us. When should I contact the hospital for advice? All patients with neutropenia can become seriously ill very quickly even if they are on antibiotic tablets. You must contact us straight away if you: become more poorly or unwell have a temperature of 37.5 C or higher develop any new signs of infection develop any new symptoms or changes in your condition You should also contact us if you have any concerns or want more information. There is always someone here to answer your questions, so please ring. How do I contact the hospital? Ring Weston Park Hospital on: Ask the switchboard operator to put you through to the nurse practitioner at Weston Park Hospital. page 5 of 8

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8 Produced with support from Sheffield Hospitals Charity Working together we can help local patients feel even better To donate visit Registered Charity No Alternative formats can be available on request. Please Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 2018 Re-use of all or any part of this document is governed by copyright and the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 SI 2005 No Information on re-use can be obtained from the Information Governance Department, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. PD5702-PIL2128 v5 Issue Date: June Review Date: June 2020