Here are six things to know about the report, which reviewed 327 malpractices cases.
• The National Institute of General Medical Sciences reports that more than 1 million Americans suffer from severe sepsis each year, and between a quarter and one half of those cases are fatal.
• Though physicians are trained to be on watch for the signs and symptoms of sepsis, there is no fast method of making a definitive diagnosis.
• The inflammatory response to sepsis differs from patient to patient, making it difficult to recognize the symptoms and make a proper diagnosis.
• Some Canadian hospitals have started implementing “sepsis teams” in emergency departments to diagnose the infections and treat them as aggressively as a heart attack or stroke.
• Among the malpractices cases noted in the CMPA report were more than 160 lawsuits and more than 150 complaints to physicians’ licensing colleges.
• Forty percent of legal actions resulted unfavorably for the physician.
More articles on infection control:
Are CAUTI rates up or down? CDC, AHRQ data disagree, study finds
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How Sutter Health is working to prevent sepsis
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