All health care workers should recognize sepsis, leader says

Better recognition of the signs and symptoms of sepsis by all care team members could reduce the number of adult Americans who die of sepsis, said Cindy Hou, MA, DO, the chief medical officer of the Sepsis Alliance. More than 350,000 Americans die of sepsis each year; the elderly are most likely to be infected. Sepsis often is related to conditions such as a urinary tract infection, pneumonia, skin infections or infections within the abdomen. Patients may also be confused, sleepy or difficult to rouse, and be in severe pain, discomfort and have shortness of breath. Hou noted that nurses are the “secret weapon” against sepsis because they usually spend more time with patients than physicians. (HealthLeaders Media article, 7/8/22)