The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Aug. 24 launched the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements to equip hospitals with effective sepsis management programs and improve survival rates.
“Sepsis is taking too many lives. One in three people who dies in a hospital has sepsis during that hospitalization. Rapid diagnosis and immediate appropriate treatment, including antibiotics, are essential to saving lives, yet the challenges of awareness about and recognition of sepsis are enormous,” says CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH. “That’s why CDC is calling on all U.S. hospitals to have a sepsis program and raise the bar on sepsis care by incorporating these seven core elements.”
Modeled after CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship, the Sepsis Core Elements aim to organize staff and build a sepsis program at all hospitals, regardless of size and location. They include:
- Leadership commitment to dedicating necessary resources.
- Accountability for program outcomes and goals.
- Use of multiprofessional expertise within the organization.
- Action to improve sepsis identification, management, and recovery.
- Tracking sepsis epidemiology, outcomes, progress toward goals, and the effect of sepsis initiatives.
- Reporting usable information on sepsis treatment and outcomes to relevant stakeholders.
- Educating health care professionals during onboarding and annually.
Throughout Sepsis Awareness Month in September, CDC will share educational materials for health care providers and patients through its ongoing Get Ahead of Sepsis campaign.
Contact Director of Policy Rob Nelb, MPH, at rnelb@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.
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