September is Sepsis Awareness Month. Sepsis is a common but preventable life-threatening response to infection that can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. According to the Sepsis Alliance, sepsis kills 350,000 adults each year in the United States. You can reduce the risk of sepsis by taking steps to prevent infections, by staying up to date on vaccinations, practicing good hygiene, and communicating when you think you, or someone you provide care to, might have an infection.

We believe it takes a collaborative effort to prevent and effectively respond to infections and sepsis. Both healthcare providers and patients and their families can use the CDC’s Get Ahead of Sepsis educational materials to learn about the risks of sepsis, spot the signs early, and act fast.

What You Can Do

We’ve compiled a list of resources that can help you learn about and prevent sepsis to make care safer for all patients.

Enhance Your Sepsis Prevention Work with the Latest Research

The Impact of an Inpatient Nurse-Triggered Sepsis Alert on Antimicrobial Utilization

This 2021 Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety research article about the impact of “Code Sepsis,” a nurse-triggered sepsis alert, is a useful reminder about the importance of balancing measures in any quality improvement program. The authors found the initial implementation of the alert triggered false positives, leading to unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.

Key Takeaways:

• Projects aimed at improving early identification and treatment of sepsis should include multidisciplinary planning teams (for example, nursing, pharmacy, infection prevention) to identify potential unintended consequences.

• Build in data collection at the beginning of the project to facilitate monitoring for potential unintended consequences.

• Monitor the outcome, process, and balancing measures

  throughout the project to identify where a new test of change is needed.

Use Tools and Best Practices to Guide Your Work

Sepsis Toolkit: Selected Best Practices and Suggestions for Improvement
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Get Ahead of Sepsis – Know the Risks. Spots the Signs. Act Fast.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Sepsis Information Sheet
Oregon Nurses Association

ASC and Nursing Facility Knowledge Share Series
Oregon Patient Safety Commission

Oregon ASC Infection Prevention and Control Toolkit
Oregon Patient Safety Commission

Sepsis Information Guides
Sepsis Alliance