Each year, more than 19 million individuals develop sepsis, defined as a life-threatening acute organ dysfunction secondary to infection. Approximately 14 million survive to hospital discharge, and their prognosis varies.
Of the survivors, 50% fully recover, 1/3 die within one year of discharge, and about 1/6 have ongoing impairments.
These impairments include functional/mobility issues, mental health issues, and exacerbation or rapid decline in chronic conditions. This puts patients who have experienced sepsis at increased risk for hospital readmission.
Despite the challenges facing patients following hospitalization with sepsis, guidance for healthcare professionals for providing optimal post-hospital sepsis care is not well established.
This article released in JAMA examined ways to enhance recovery after sepsis. The article suggests that post-hospital sepsis care should focus on:
- Identification of new physical, mental, and cognitive problems and referrals for appropriate treatment.
- Review and adjustment of long-term medications.
- Evaluation for treatable conditions that commonly result in hospitalization, such as infection, heart failure, renal failure, and aspiration.
- Consideration of palliative care for patients with poor or declining health prior to sepsis who experience further deterioration after sepsis.
If you’re looking to improve your sepsis protocols and reduce your readmissions, review the Cynosure Sepsis Discovery Tool and the Cynosure Readmissions Discovery Tool to find areas of opportunity for improvement. Because together we can improve health care further, faster.