Frequently asked questions
Answers for hospitals and professional collaborators considering SnapNSTI.
About the study
What is SnapNSTI?
SnapNSTI is an international, time-bound, prospective, non-randomized observational cohort. It describes routine diagnosis, treatment pathways, resources, and outcomes in severe skin and soft-tissue infection, including confirmed necrotizing soft-tissue infection.
Which study description should my centre use?
Use the current SnapNSTI protocol, version 1.1 dated 8 December 2025.
Does SnapNSTI change treatment or assign an intervention?
No. The cohort records routine care and does not randomize patients, allocate treatment, or direct clinical decisions. The treating team remains responsible for all care.
What does “time-bound” mean?
Each participating centre selects a consecutive local enrolment window, with a six-month case-ascertainment period within the wider study timeline.
Eligibility and case identification
Which patients are screened?
Screening begins with adults aged 18 years or older admitted with severe skin and soft-tissue infection. Final inclusion and NSTI classification follow the current protocol and the centre’s locally approved process; confirmed NSTI may be established by operative or histopathological fascial necrosis or imaging evidence of gas in the fascial plane.
How does a centre find consecutive cases?
Site teams use routine sources such as admission logs, operating-room schedules, intensive-care rosters, and relevant consulting services. The objective is complete consecutive case ascertainment during the centre’s defined window.
Can patients sign up through this website?
No. This site is for hospital teams and professional collaborators. It is not a patient enrolment portal and does not provide clinical advice.
Governance and data
Does every centre have the same ethics classification?
No. Each centre obtains its own written audit, service-evaluation, ethics, privacy, and information-governance determination before case inclusion. This website does not determine local classification.
What information is transferred?
The protocol requires source data to be de-identified before transfer, with local linkage files retained at the centre. Access to the central REDCap dataset is role-restricted and audited. The local approved process controls what a centre may collect or transfer.
Where is the REDCap data-entry portal?
Onboarded collaborators receive access instructions directly from the study team.
Are patient-reported outcomes collected?
The protocol allows optional EQ-5D-5L follow-up at 90 days where acceptable to the local ethics or governance process. It is not a requirement of this public site.
Collaboration and updates
How are contributions recognized?
The authorship framework uses contribution-based, manuscript-specific decisions with transparent CRediT role reporting and collaborative recognition where full authorship criteria are not met. Contact the team before beginning a subsidiary analysis.
How are live updates shared?
Aggregate centre and study updates are posted on the Live updates page as they become available.