Sepsis Case Study Essay

Sepsis has gained much focus as a major global health problem. Since 2003, an international team of experts came together to form the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC), in the attempts to combat an effectively treat sepsis. Although, diagnostics and protocols have been developed to identify high risk patients, the need for human clinical assessment is still necessary to ensure a proper diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment is initiated in a timely manner. The use of a highly efficient and experienced team, such as, the electronic Intensive Care unit (eICU) could close the gap from diagnosis to treatment.

Clinical Practice Question

Will implementing sepsis screening by the eICU for ICU and Step-down units improve earlier diagnosis and treatment of sepsis compared to waiting for admitting physician to assess the patient?

Critical Appraisal Components

1st Critical Appraisal Component in CETEP Model Evidence-Based Factors:

Research

Sepsis was associated with high mortality rates due to delay in diagnosis and treatment. The study was performed over 3 years in an ICU setting, screening over 68,000 patients, which, identified 5437 cases of severe sepsis (Badawi & Hassan, 2015). The article further discusses how tele- ICU’s can support and improve patient outcomes by screening for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), prior to a patient developing severe sepsis. Moreover, screening is considered a vital component to improve survival rates in sepsis; screening gives promise to patients of early intervention and improved outcomes (Badawi & Hassan,