Sepsis is a broadly defined syndrome with a high mortality rate.  Early recognition and initiation of treatment can improve patient outcomes. Consequently, quality metrics such as CMS Sep-1 evaluate hospital outcomes on a number of sepsis related process measures. All too often quality improvement efforts result in initial improvements that degrade with time.  Some drivers of non-sustained quality may be a resistant stakeholder group, complicated process that is challenging to adhere to and natural turnover of staff in high stress clinical settings. Over the three sessions this series will focus on presenting a model for the stages of sepsis management throughout the course of a patient’s hospitalization. This will be paired with discussions on principles for sustained quality improvement with case examples that highlight both success and failure. As the presentations work through the stages of sepsis management, current literature will be summarized establishing the current best practice and strength of evidence for various interventions. Primarily the goal of the series is to provide participants with the tools to identify current system needs and how to sustainably achieve improvements in clinical outcomes. Where quality or regulatory measures require effort from the clinical team less likely to impact patient outcomes, the sessions will also highlight approaches for meeting those metrics without interrupting clinical workflows.  

This course was prepared by the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, under contract #5882HD23, Iowa Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities, which is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). Views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of IDPH, and any reference to a specific product or entity herein does not constitute endorsement of that product or entity by IDPH.