Sepsis kills more than a quarter of a million people each year, but early signs of the condition are not nearly as well known among the public as the early signs for other conditions — a problem Indiana hospitals are trying to fix, according to the Indy Star.
To improve patient safety, the Indiana Hospital Association's Patient Safety Center is working with members of the general public to spread education and awareness about sepsis.
"The public now knows if you have a stroke or a heart attack, you need to get treatment," Carolyn Konfirst, RN, clinical director of the Indiana Patient Safety Center, told the Indy Star. "Sepsis really is flying under the radar. I don't know that everyone recognizes that it's time-sensitive… It's not something that you can delay."
The IHA Patient Safety Center and numerous Indiana hospitals shared best practices for how to identify and treat sepsis at its annual meeting last week.
For instance, Johnson Memorial Hospital in Franklin, Ind., has implemented efforts to increase emergency department triage nurses' awareness of sepsis symptoms. Indianapolis-based Community Health Network has worked to improve patient handoff between ED staff and those overseeing care in the hospital. CHN also designated a rapid response nurse who screens patients every day for sepsis and can initiate treatment if sepsis is suspected, according to the report
Although these internal changes are great to improve sepsis diagnoses and care, the IHA encourages hospitals to do more to spread public awareness of sepsis.
More articles on sepsis:
Practical tips for reducing Sepsis-related malpractice risk
Can sepsis kill patients months or years after they recover?
Michigan hospitals, Sepsis Alliance launch statewide sepsis awareness campaign