A great idea – Sepsis Strike Force!

Blog by Kristin Jenkins, President, DFW Hospital Council Foundation

Sepsis has been declared a public health scourge by the Centers for Disease Control. Statistics show 80 percent of sepsis cases begin outside of the hospital for 80 percent of the patients diagnosed. Seven in 10 patients with sepsis recently used healthcare services or had chronic diseases requiring frequent medical care. There are four types of infections most often associated with sepsis: lung, urinary tract, skin and gut.

To cure a patient with sepsis, healthcare professionals must act quickly. The DFW Hospital Council Foundation created a collaborative in March to identify best practices in sepsis prevention, identification and treatment. This collaborative will also share this information with our community healthcare organizations.

Named the “Sepsis Strike Force” and led by our own Patti Taylor, Director of Patient Safety and Quality, the collaborative hopes to provide evidence-based clinical guidelines, protocols, guidance and best practices.

The group’s membership includes representatives from Cook Children’s Health System, Children’s Health, Houston Northwest (a Tenet facility), UT Southwestern, JPS Health Network, Texas Health Resources, Baylor Scott & White Health and Methodist Health System. The Children’s Hospital Association of Texas has also joined the effort.

The Sepsis Strike Force has struck, and to date it has:
• focused on the differences in flow from different entry points of the hospital;
• identified best practices at local facilities;
• developed flow diagrams for identification and treatment;
• completed a swim lane analysis to identify roles in identification and treatment;
• completed a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) template;
• conducted a two hour CNE event on October 27, “Beating the Odds of Sepsis.”

The strike force has a battle plan over the next six months to include hosting a repeat of the sepsis event from October; providing resources to assist EHR systems; providing education for physicians; monitoring outcomes of sepsis mortality; providing public education; and involving first responders in the Sepsis care team.

If your organization is not a member of the Sepsis Strike Force – we want you! This initiative is demonstrating high value in patient care and cost effectiveness. For information, contact Patti Taylor at ptaylor@dfwhcfoundation.org.