Early Identification of Sepsis in the Walk-in Setting

Sepsis is the body’s dysregulated response to infection and is the cause of significant physical and financial burden on patients and the healthcare system. If not identified and treated promptly, sepsis can result in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Prehospital settings, such as walk-in clinics, are often the first point-of-care for patients with infections and early signs of sepsis. The lack of protocols and standardization for sepsis recognition and management in these settings may be a missed opportunity to identify these patients. Applying a sepsis screening tool may improve clinical decision-making and facilitate an appropriate transition of care for sepsis patients. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to improve early screening for and identification of sepsis in adult patients who present to the walk-in clinic to promote positive patient outcomes. A modified-SIRS screening was implemented for 30 days on all adult patients who presented to the walk-in clinic. There was low compliance with screening by the nursing staff and incomplete vital sign assessments prevented accurate screening and sepsis identification. Half of the patients who had proper screening performed were referred to the ER. One patient that screened positive, but was not referred, did present to the ER within five days of the walk-in visit with subsequent admission and re-admission. Supplemental education that focused on early identification of sepsis and the implications of delayed care was assigned to the staff. Staff demonstrated an average of a 31% increase in knowledge after completing the sepsis education. Keywords: sepsis, sepsis identification, sepsis recognition, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), modified-SIRS, walk-in clinic

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Kansas

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Miller, Jordan

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Buller, Carol

• Nursing

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright held by the author.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17061

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/39313