We sat down with Cynosure Health Improvement Advisor, Maryanne Whitney, to get her take on the self-assessment of sepsis protocols and advice she has for hospitals who are looking to improve. Let’s dive in.
How does self-assessment improve sepsis mortality?
A self-assessment can highlight strengths and identify gaps or areas that may be an improvement opportunity. These improvement opportunities can lead to lives saved through earlier detection methods or improved intervention strategies.
What information will garner the most buy-in for change?
Data will often garner buy-in. Self-assessments and discovery tools are “real” data of an individual facility’s sepsis programs and can serve as a “reality check.” During the self-assessment, we look at what we know needs to be happening for patients with sepsis vs. what is actually happening. This realization in an organization can be a very powerful motivator for change.
How can physicians or leadership be more involved?
Leaders need to be involved as sponsors of a sepsis program, ensure that sepsis mortality reduction is a strategic goal, and mitigate barriers for the teams. Physicians are critical members and leaders in a sepsis program. Without a physician champion for sepsis, change and improvement in sepsis protocols is difficult.
If you’re ready to review your sepsis protocols and make a plan for improvement with a self-assessment, assess your current practices using the Cynosure Sepsis Discovery Tool.
Together we can improve health care further, faster.