Nurses Challenging Sepsis: Saving Children's Lives
Recorded On: 01/28/2020
Description:
Every child with sepsis deserves life-saving care, and nursing leaders Kimberly DeNicolo, Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital and Tracy Lowerre, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU Health, have risen to the challenge as the 2019 winners of the Erin’s Campaign for Kids Nursing Award. This event highlights the work of these exemplary nurses, who through their dedication to improving sepsis care have transformed teams and brought about measurable change. Discover how they have leveraged quality improvement methodology to identify barriers to timely care, develop effective staff education strategies, optimize electronic data use, and heighten sepsis awareness to unprecedented levels across their institutions.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the activity, the learner should be able to:
- Describe the burden and mortality of pediatric sepsis;
- Identify the strategic work of Sepsis Alliance to improve sepsis outcomes through education and advocacy;
- Discuss the institution-wide impact of nurse leaders as sepsis champions;
- Explain the value of QI methodology to transform teams and drive measurable change in sepsis outcomes;
- Identify one new sepsis change strategy to adopt in your institution.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Kimberly DeNicolo, MSN, RN
Emergency Department Quality Coordinator
Ann & Robert H. Lurie's Children's Hospital of Chicago
As a winner of the Sepsis Alliance pediatric nursing award, Kimberly is the nursing lead for her hospital’s ED multidisciplinary sepsis committee as well as a member of CHA’s Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) inpatient and facilitation teams. She collaborates with the inpatient sepsis teams by sharing the ED improvement work and helps tailor future interventions based on their experience within acute care areas.
Tracy Lowerre, BSN, MSN, RN
Nurse Clinician
Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU Health
As one of the two winners of the Sepsis Alliance pediatric nursing award, Tracy has worked in the pediatric ICU for nearly 20 years and is the co-chair of her hospital’s pediatric sepsis committee. She works closely with leadership, IT and other units on innovations to improve treatment for septic patients. She also works to change processes that improve antibiotic administration times within the system.
Carl Flatley, DDS, MSD
Founder
Sepsis Alliance
On April 30, 2002, Carl Flatley’s life changed. It was the day his daughter Erin died from septic shock, something Dr. Flatley, DDS, MSD, a retired endodontist, had never heard of. (Faces of Sepsis: Erin Flatley)
After Erin’s death, Dr. Flatley learned everything he could about sepsis and he was astounded at what he – and millions of other Americans – didn’t know about the condition. He was shocked to learn that sepsis killed well over 200,000 people in the U.S. every year and affected so many more survivors.
In 2004, Dr. Flatley founded the American Sepsis Alliance, which in 2007, became Sepsis Alliance. He made it his mission that sepsis would become as well known as cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses, and that as few people as possible would get sepsis, let alone die from it.
His unending devotion to Erin’s memory has had a significant impact on many people.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17068 for 1.5 contact hours.
Other healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance for 1.5 contact hours.
Medical Disclaimer
The information on or available through this site is intended for educational purposes only. Sepsis Alliance does not represent or guarantee that information on or available through this site is applicable to any specific patient’s care or treatment. The educational content on or available through this site does not constitute medical advice from a physician and is not to be used as a substitute for treatment or advice from a practicing physician or other healthcare professional. Sepsis Alliance recommends users consult their physician or healthcare professional regarding any questions about whether the information on or available through this site might apply to their individual treatment or care.