The West Moreton community will see faster diagnosis and treatment for one of the world’s most aggressive conditions thanks to a newly introduced tool for frontline hospital staff.West Moreton Health has rolled out a Sepsis Diagnostic Bundle at Ipswich Hospital that consists of screening and treatment tools to help staff identify and treat the signs of potential sepsis earlier.
Dr Cade Grima, Director of Emergency at Ipswich Hospital, says sepsis is an urgent national health issue.
“Sepsis is a common condition that most people do not realise kills thousands of Australians a year,” Dr Grima said.
“However, evidence shows that early recognition and treatment may significantly improve a patient’s outcome.”
Sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by an abnormal response to infection, can be extremely difficult to identify with symptoms suggestive of less serious illnesses. An estimated 18,000 Australian adults are treated for sepsis annually, with half left with permanent disability or impaired function and around 5,000 losing their lives. In paediatric patients, sepsis represents the leading cause of death and disability in children.
The use of the Sepsis Diagnostic Bundle at Ipswich Hospital is part of a Queensland initiative that was successfully piloted at the Gold Coast University Hospital.
The rollout of the new tool is the result of a collaborative project between Queensland Health’s Clinical Governance and Emergency Departments that involved the state-wide Sepsis Collaborative working to establish a standardised evidence-based tool to educate and assist frontline clinical staff with sepsis management.
The World Health Organisation has identified sepsis as an international clinical issue that needs better early recognition and treatment.
“Sepsis can affect adults and children – it doesn’t discriminate,” Dr Grima said. “The Sepsis Diagnostic Bundle Ipswich Hospital Emergency Department is using can help improve early recognition of sepsis and early treatment of the potentially deadly condition.”