It is September and that means we all come together – healthcare providers, communities, family members, organizations (big and small) to raise sepsis awareness to help save lives for Sepsis Awareness Month.
Sepsis is a serious condition and a leading cause of death in hospitals. Each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 1.7 million adults in the U.S. develop sepsis, and at least 350,000 die as a result. It’s also a main reason why people are readmitted to the hospital. Sepsis is the #1 admission and readmission diagnosis for North Dakota and South Dakota.
It is important to understand how to identify and treat sepsis early. Experts say that 80 percent of sepsis deaths could be prevented if treated in time. As a healthcare community, we can do better.
Access the Sepsis: STOP and TELL tool. If an individual shows any of the signs illustrated on the tool, a clinical staff person is to be notified immediately. This is the first step in an early intervention for a person with sepsis. It’s important to look for a combination of the warning signs. Spotting these symptoms early could prevent the body from entering septic shock and could save a life.
This tool can be placed in a resident room, included in an admission packet, hung at a central location or posted in rooms or on doors. We hope that by educating non-clinical staff and family members and encouraging them to speak up, we can all make a difference in the identification and treatment of sepsis.
Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements are essential to optimize patient care and help clinicians, hospitals, and health systems in efforts to improve the hospital management and outcomes of sepsis. Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements outline structural and procedural components that are associated with the multidisciplinary expertise required to support the care of patients with sepsis.
Great Plains QIN recently hosted a webinar highlighting the need for improved sepsis awareness and treatment. The event featured a sepsis survival story and a presentation by the Avera St. Luke’s team on their best practices for managing sepsis. Access the presentation and recording for valuable insights into the impact of sepsis in the Dakotas, strategies for early identification and treatment, best practices for managing sepsis in rural areas, and innovative approaches to sepsis prevention and management.
Access the FREE Sepsis Alliance Toolkit and infographic library. Print the posters and hang them in your hospital, office and community. Remember to tag @SepsisAlliance and use the hashtags #SepsisAwarenessMonth and #SAM2024.
End Sepsis National Forum: Shaping a Federal Response – September 12, 2024
2024 has been another pivotal year in the quest to develop effective, real-world solutions to the sepsis crisis in the United States and beyond. Millions in federal funding allocated to sepsis for the first time, the ongoing rollout of the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements, the release of government reports detailing the shocking toll of sepsis on the nation’s healthcare system and planned new legislation have dramatically advanced our shared mission. Yet, despite progress, much remains to be done before federal funding, national guidelines and legislative proposals translate into policy mandates that save lives.
Join the leaders from across government, healthcare, patient advocacy and the private sector who have been responsible for transforming the nation’s approach to sepsis as they break down the impact of new policies and actions and share what’s next in the campaign to save lives, unburden our healthcare system and reduce the economic toll of this deadly condition. The National Forum on Sepsis will be streamed to a global audience.