I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Alan Whippy and some of her colleagues from Kaiser Permanente this past weekend. We got to talking about the recent work they had done on sepsis detection and treatment. I had missed her presentation last December at the IHI National Forum. You can see the summary here. An excerpt:
[W]e developed an algorithm and standardized approach for early screening in the ED, and testing of patients for sepsis. This has led to an increase in sepsis detection by 102%, and an ability to treat our patients earlier with a reduction in our sepsis mortality from 25% to 15%.
This looks really good to me, and it is great that they are sharing their experiences. As I have quoted OSU's Dr. Jim O'Brien before on this blog, in terms of general public understanding, sepsis is a seriously underrated hazard in hospital settings.
Meanwhile, look at this story from Royal Liverpool Hospital. Excerpts:
Hospital chiefs admitted there was a delay in giving the right treatment to a young woman who died after developing [sepsis].
[A]fter the family questioned the actions of staff prior to her death they admitted there were failings in her care.
Hospital chief executive Tony Bell has written to them apologising “unreservedly”.
And in further correspondence the hospital trust admitted there had been a 20-hour delay from when she was admitted to when antibiotics were given.
The hospital said it is now planning to learn from Miss Gore’s death and has put an action plan in place, which includes training staff and increasing awareness of sepsis.
How many other hospitals, in the US or elsewhere, would do the same?
[W]e developed an algorithm and standardized approach for early screening in the ED, and testing of patients for sepsis. This has led to an increase in sepsis detection by 102%, and an ability to treat our patients earlier with a reduction in our sepsis mortality from 25% to 15%.
This looks really good to me, and it is great that they are sharing their experiences. As I have quoted OSU's Dr. Jim O'Brien before on this blog, in terms of general public understanding, sepsis is a seriously underrated hazard in hospital settings.
Meanwhile, look at this story from Royal Liverpool Hospital. Excerpts:
Hospital chiefs admitted there was a delay in giving the right treatment to a young woman who died after developing [sepsis].
[A]fter the family questioned the actions of staff prior to her death they admitted there were failings in her care.
Hospital chief executive Tony Bell has written to them apologising “unreservedly”.
And in further correspondence the hospital trust admitted there had been a 20-hour delay from when she was admitted to when antibiotics were given.
The hospital said it is now planning to learn from Miss Gore’s death and has put an action plan in place, which includes training staff and increasing awareness of sepsis.
How many other hospitals, in the US or elsewhere, would do the same?
2 comments:
more work or the results of research on the treatment of sepsis would be very helpful in curing disease.
therefore the work of Dr.. Alan Whippy and some of her colleagues need to be appreciated and say thank you
I think one of the key components in using and following the sepsis algorithm is the human force behind it. For instance, a patient developing sepsis may show all the signs and symptoms of the illness but are discharged from the ED after a single dose of antibiotics and told to follow up with their primary care physician only to die days later. I think that nurses, doctors, and technicians alike all need to remember that they all hold a vital link in the chain to healing and preserving life.
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