Many busy hospitals or hospital systems wrestle with exactly where and how to focus sepsis improvement efforts. The extreme focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on staffing long-term has only exacerbated the challenge and forced many sepsis coordinators into reactive mode.
Because sepsis remains one of the world’s most effective killers, hospitals across the country continue their work to improve sepsis outcomes.
- In 2017, sepsis accounted for 1 in 5 deaths globally and was the most common cause of deaths in the hospital in the United States.
- The financial cost to U.S. health care is estimated at a staggering 33 billion dollars per year and rising.
- In absolute terms, hospital admissions for sepsis-related conditions outnumber admissions for stroke, acute myocardial infarction, and trauma combined.
- Septic shock alone carries a 34 percent mortality rate.
- Medicare data indicates the average cost per hospitalized patient ranges from about $22,000 to over $70,000 for sepsis present on admission and hospital-acquired sepsis, respectively, making it the most expensive disease state in hospitals.
In this guide, Dr. Klaz offers best practices focused on the role of surveillance software, adherence to sepsis protocols, improving sepsis bundle delivery, driving engagement and more. Wolters Kluwer has learned about the five most significant challenges this paper addresses through collaboration with clinical teams across the country that are dedicated to improving sepsis performance and patient outcomes through organized programs.
An integrated strategy to address the five most critical challenges can yield substantive and measurable progress. The five challenges are:
- Monitoring known sepsis patients 24/7
- Gaining access to early and actionable insights for at-risk patients
- Identifying the most promising hospital areas for sepsis care improvements
- Standardizing sepsis protocols and procedures
- Reliably measuring sepsis performance