Written in collaboration by Sepsis Alliance and Cynosure

The question of why might be something you hear throughout your organization. Maybe what follows is that sepsis protocols are “good enough” or that there isn’t bandwidth to improve.

The truth of the matter is, sepsis continues to be a public health crisis that needs our attention. In fact, more than 1.7 million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with sepsis each year. In the United States, sepsis takes a life every two minutes – this is more than opioid overdoses, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined.

If those facts aren’t enough, sepsis is the number one cause of hospital readmissions, costing more than $3.5 billion each year.

As Sepsis Awareness Month begins, we ask that you to take another look at your sepsis protocols and detection methods. We encourage you to see if there are any obvious areas for improvement. Improving our sepsis protocols and detection methods can (and will) save lives.

More about Sepsis Alliance

Sepsis Alliance is the leading sepsis organization in the U.S., working in all 50 states to save lives and reduce suffering from sepsis. The organization was founded in 2007 by Dr. Carl Flatley, whose daughter Erin died unnecessarily of sepsis when she was 23 years old. Sepsis awareness can and does save lives, yet only 63% of American adults have ever heard the word sepsis.

The Sepsis Alliance team works to produce information for both healthcare professionals and the public to elevate sepsis care with education, resources, and networking.

We encourage you to register for an upcoming educational event – the Sepsis Alliance Summit! Join Sepsis Alliance for a FREE, virtual conference on sepsis held on September 27 and 28, 2023. Sepsis Alliance Summit features two days of virtual expert-led sepsis content and opportunities to engage with other healthcare professionals. Free continuing nursing education credits will also be available!

Where to Start to Improve your Sepsis Protocols and Detection Methods

Sepsis Awareness Month is a great time to begin to examine your current efforts and gain ideas and inspiration for further improvements. As you begin to take further action to improve awareness of sepsis mortality and morbidity, a great first step is to assess your current practices using the Cynosure Sepsis Discovery Tool to provide a real time evaluation of your current processes and by reviewing the 2023 Cynosure Sepsis Safe Hospital Self-Assessment.

Next, connect with the right information and tools to support your efforts. Sepsis Alliance has released a Sepsis Awareness Month tool kit to help inspire your Sepsis Awareness month activities.

Then, join us as we highlight hospital best practices in our Cynosure Sepsis “How to” Series:

  • Sepsis Screening & Implementing an Hour One Bundle will be featured on September 21 @ 1:00 pm EST register here
  • Handoff checklists and Post Sepsis Support Groups will be featured on September 28 @ 1:00 pm EST register here  

Now is the time to get started! You can learn more about sepsis and find other ways to get involved at sepsis.org.