Revisiting Hospital Sepsis Programs

Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, making early recognition and coordinated care essential to improving patient outcomes. In honor of Sepsis Awareness Month, observed every September, we are revisiting an episode of Critical Matters featuring a conversation about hospital sepsis programs and the CDC Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements. Originally debuting in 2023, Dr. Sergio Zanotti’s discussion with guest Hallie Prescott, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan, hits on evidence-based approaches to building effective sepsis initiatives and advancing quality care across healthcare organizations. Additional resources: CDC Hospital Program Sepsis Program Core Elements CDC Additional Sepsis Clinical Resources SCCM Surviving Sepsis Guidelines 2021 Characterizing an implementation intervention in terms of behaviour change techniques and theory: the ‘Sepsis Six’ clinical care bundle. Steinmo S, et al. Implementation Science 2015 Effect of a Multicomponent Sepsis Transition and Recovery Program on Mortality and Readmissions After Sepsis: The Improving Morbidity During Post-Acute Care Transitions for Sepsis Randomized Clinical Trial. Crit Care Medicine 2022 Recent episodes of Critical Matters related to sepsis: Sepsis – Beyond the guidelines Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 Guidelines Capillary Refill Time (CRT) Books mentioned in this episode: The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care. By Hannah Wunsch