PRONTO Poem: A Patient Representative Reflects On Her Involvement

“We heard you’d had sepsis and are keen to help out.”
In Liverpool we met, there was much to explain
All those abbreviations aren’t good for my brain!

Agreeing Trial name and logo was our first task
Application lay summary, the very next ask.
PRONTO approved, our work can now start
Meetings were scheduled, timelines and chart.

Bedside test for procalcitonin, a known sepsis marker
‘Cos when diagnosing we need to be smarter.
Could it help recognise sepsis the faster,
Proving to be an accurate forecaster?

We need to stay sharp, use antibiotics more wisely
Patient outcomes improved, our findings shared widely.
Can we minimise overuse of these precious meds.
Whilst ensuring our patients are safe in their beds?

So, all ready to go, we were quick off the block
Then COVID arrived, a need to take stock.
The hospital teams, they were rushed off their feet
For the saving of lives, PRONTO takes a back seat.

We heed the advice not to meet in a room,
All future TMG’s  are to take place on Zoom
Every month online sessions we  now must  attend
A slow start for PRONTO – but it wasn’t the end!

User friendly patient leaflets are going be needed
Plain English required – no acronyms – I pleaded.
Patients will be assigned to both arms of the Trial,
Data collected, reports by the pile.

Five thousand recruits we are now appraising
The research nurses out there are truly amazing.
Even through Covid, patients were seen and assessed
Our researchers worked on, they’re truly the best.

Is our Trial acceptable to patients, we need to be sure
Now they are home, their thoughts we procure
Interviewing patients, their experiences revealing
As they tell us their stories and how they’re now feeling.

Patients need support, it would be good to sign post
Support groups and charities, who could help them the most?
ICU steps, CRUSE, the UK Sepsis Trust
A friendly listening ear is considered a must.

Still lots to discover, as PRONTO forges ahead
Study qualitative interviews,consider what was said.
It’s acceptability to patients and the hospital team
All needs confirming before we mainstream.

Thanks for reading, hope it helped in some way
A little tongue in cheek, I really must say.
My thoughts and reflections since that very first call
Signing off with “A Merry Christmas to all you all!”

Julie Carman
Patient Representative
PRONTO Trial
December 2022