The health system initiated a performance improvement effort in early 2021 to reduce mortality by improving early identification and evidence-based treatment of sepsis, according to a Sept. 26 press release.
Here’s how they did it:
- The health system implemented a sepsis alert algorithm in August 2021 and deployed Oracle Cerner alert workflows and PowerPlans with client-developed sepsis content in October 2021.
- The alert algorithms, along with better workflow and alert response options, were aimed at supporting near real-time patient monitoring and early identification and treatment of sepsis.
- The sepsis alert allows nurses to contact physicians when they have concerns that a patient could be developing sepsis.
- Once the physician is notified, they can choose the appropriate antibiotic treatment using an embedded antibiogram, a tool that uses the local susceptibility pattern of pathogens to guide antibiotic choice.
- The implementation of the sepsis alerts and workflows reduced the health system’s sepsis mortality rate by 16.5 percent, equating to approximately 28 additional sepsis survivors per year.
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