INTERNAL MEMORANDUM
TO
FROM
TEL
DATE
SUBJECT World Sepsis Day - September 13, 2014
SEPSIS KILLS and XXXX Hospital is taking action to improve outcomes for patients with sepsis. World Sepsis
Day (WSD) is an annual initiative of the Global Sepsis Alliance to promote sepsis awareness. It is an opportunity
to further engage staff with the SEPSIS KILLS program to improve sepsis identification and management.
Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs and can lead to shock,
multiple organ failure, and death, especially if not recognised early and treated promptly. It remains the primary
cause of death from infection despite advances in modern medicine, including vaccines, antibiotics, and acute
care. Sepsis causes more deaths than prostate cancer, breast cancer and HIV/AIDS combined 1 and there are
approximately 15,000 cases of severe sepsis and septic shock in Australian and New Zealand intensive care
units per year2.
The Clinical Excellence Commission SEPSIS KILLS program aims to reduce preventable harm to patients
through improved recognition and management of severe infection and sepsis in emergency departments and
inpatient wards. Preliminary NSW sepsis data suggests that 30 per cent of adults who require a Rapid Response
are septic. The program is based on three key actions:
RECOGNISE the risk factors, signs and symptoms of sepsis
RESUSCITATE with rapid intravenous fluids and administration of antibiotics within the first hour of diagnosis
REFER to appropriate senior clinicians and teams with retrieval if appropriate
XXXX Hospital is engaging in the following activities for World Sepsis Day: (add/delete as needed)
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SEPSIS KILLS promotional stand in the Hospital foyer (add date)
Grand Rounds presentation on the SEPSIS KILLS program (add date)
Sepsis bomb cake competition
Sepsis education sessions, quiz and clinical simulations
For more information on the SEPSIS KILLS program and World Sepsis Day activities please contact the local
Sepsis Lead XXXX.on xxxx. YOU can make a difference for patients with sepsis in this hospital.
1. World Sepsis Day Organisation [internet] 2014. [cited 2014,March 31] Available from: http://www.world-sepsis-day.org/
2. Finfer S, Bellomo R, Lipman J. Adult-population incidence of severe sepsis in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units.
Intensive Care Medicine 2004; 30:589–596.