Background, Rationale, and Suggested Implementation Strategies
Leadership Commitment/Accountability
- Perform sepsis program self-assessment to identify items that could improve the effectiveness of your sepsis program.
- Identify sepsis as a hospital priority and communicate this priority to hospital staff.
- Set ambitious but achievable goals for improving sepsis care and patient outcomes that are informed by review of hospital practices, hospital sepsis outcomes, and clinical practice guidelines.
- Assess progress towards hospital sepsis goals at regular intervals and update goals periodically(e.g., annually) to promote continual improvement.
- Identify a sepsis program leader(or two co-leaders) – ideally a nurse and a physician – who are responsible for sepsis program management and participate in sepsis-related performance evaluation and improvement activities.
- Appoint a senior administrator(e.g., Chief Clinical Officer, Chief Medical Officer, of Chief Nursing Officer) to serve as an executive sponsor for the sepsis program to ensure the program has resources and support needed to accomplish its mission. Have regular meetings with leaders of the sepsis program to assess the resources needed to accomplish the hospital’s goals for sepsis activities and outcomes.
- Have a dedicated sepsis coordinator(s) to oversee the day-to-day implementation of the sepsis program activities.(see sample job description).
- Ensure team members have sufficient time to contribute to sepsis activities.
- Provide resources, including data analytics and information technology support, to operate the program effectively
Multi-professional Involvement
- Assemble a multidisciplinary team including hospital sepsis program includes diverse multi-disciplinary representation(e.g., antimicrobial stewardship, critical care, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, infectious diseases, nursing, other primary services[e.g., surgery, oncology, obstetrics, pediatrics], pharmacy, and social work).
- Identify local/unit physician and nurse leaders and/or champions to ensure physician and nursing engagement and buy-in.
- Engage relevant support services – as necessary – from individuals with expertise and formal training in data management/analytics, information technology, and quality improvement/patient safety.