In the United States, sepsis affects more than 1.7 million people and takes 270,000 lives each year. Sepsis is the body’s overwhelming response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, amputations and death.
Sepsis Alliance, the nation’s leading sepsis patient advocacy non-profit organization, launched the Sepsis Coordinator Network today, a first of its kind online network that provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based best-practice resources and guidance to improve outcomes for patients with sepsis.
“Working every day with sepsis survivors and people who have lost loved ones to sepsis, it became increasingly clear to Sepsis Alliance that the quality of sepsis treatment and management varies drastically from state to state and hospital to hospital,” said Tom Heymann, Executive Director of Sepsis Alliance. “The Sepsis Coordinator Network is a response to the varying quality of sepsis treatment across the United States by providing a central hub for healthcare professionals to access sepsis best-practice resources and communicate with experts in the field.”
The Sepsis Coordinator Network was developed by an advisory committee of nursing leaders with critical experience developing and implementing lifesaving sepsis protocols and working with septic patients. A complementary team of healthcare professionals from across the continuum of care will serve as clinical advisors in specialized areas. They include physicians, pharmacists and mental health specialists, among others. The network also provides professionals with peer-to-peer forums to ask questions and get support from sepsis experts when they face challenges in their daily practice.
“The Sepsis Coordinator Network is bringing together evidence-based sepsis best-practices from healthcare professionals across the United States, in a way that has never been done before and has the potential to change the way sepsis is treated at every hospital across the United States” said Angela Craig, a member of the Sepsis Coordinator Network’s Advisory Board and a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Cookeville Regional Medical Center, in Cookeville, TN, who has led multiple successful sepsis initiatives to improve patient outcomes.
The Network is open to all healthcare professionals with an interest in improving sepsis care and there is no fee to become a member. Interested parties can register at www.SepsisCoordinatorNetwork.org. The Sepsis Coordinator Network was made possible with support from founding sponsor Edwards Lifesciences.
Great Plains QIN received special funding to work in one rural geographical location in each state to increase awareness and early recognition of sepsis. Our team is providing evidence-based tools, resources, training and subject matter experts to reach rural communities and increase public awareness of the signs, symptoms and contributing factors to sepsis. To learn more about our work in the region, click here.
About Sepsis Alliance
Sepsis Alliance is North America’s leading sepsis patient advocacy non-profit. Sepsis Alliance’s mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by raising awareness of sepsis as a medical emergency. The sepsis.org website receives more than 2.5 million visits each year. Sepsis Alliance is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and a GuideStar Gold Rated Charity. For more information, visit www.sepsis.org. Connect on Facebook and Twitter at @SepsisAlliance.
