Sepsis: Skilled Nursing and Long Term Care
Recorded On: 07/20/2020
Description:
Sepsis impacts over 1.7 million Americans each year, resulting in over 270,000 deaths (a death every 2 minutes). According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, as many as 87% of sepsis cases begin outside of the hospital, so early identification and treatment in the post-acute setting is key to reducing morbidity and mortality in this population. Healthcare personnel in skilled nursing facilities play a significant role in early identification and treatment of sepsis. This training module overviews sepsis, its pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, and treatment within the context of skilled nursing and long term care (LTC). It outlines an early identification and treatment process for sepsis and shows learners how to incorporate it into usual work processes, including communication strategies for providers that focus on action. Strategies for patient and family education are also reviewed.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the activity, the learner should be able to:
- Define sepsis;
- Discuss the key pathophysiological features of sepsis;
- Utilize a sepsis screening tool to identify a patient who has sepsis or severe sepsis in a skilled nursing facility;
- Review the interventions to treat sepsis in a skilled nursing facility/LTC;
- Educate patients and families on sepsis identification and treatment.
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.
Pat Posa RN, BSN, MSA, CCRN-K, FAAN
Quality and Patient Safety Program Manager
UH/CVC, Michigan Medicine
Pat Posa is the Quality and Patient Safety Program Manager for UH/CVC at Michigan Medicine. In this role, she is responsible for development, measurement and sustainability of the UH/CVC segment quality and patient safety program. Most recently, Pat was a Quality Excellence Leader for St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Southeastern Michigan, leading initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired conditions, improve patient outcomes for critically ill patients, and reduce readmissions. She also works as the Population Health Clinical Integration Leader. In this role she has implemented a risk prediction tool and associated interventions within the hospital and post-acute settings. She also works as a Quality Excellence Leader for St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. She has held various roles in healthcare in the hospital, ambulatory setting, and health plan over her 40 years in practice, including manager of inpatient critical care units, Director of Nursing, and administrator of an outpatient multispecialty/primary care clinic. Pat has been involved in many quality and patient safety programs such as hospital- and system-wide sepsis management programs and a statewide Keystone ICU patient safety initiative. She has served on the faculty for multiple state and national clinical collaboratives including the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Phase IV Collaborative, the national project on Comprehensive Unit Safety Program (CUSP) for Mechanically Ventilated Patients, and Society of Critical Care Medicine’s ICU Liberation Collaborative. Through Pat's leadership, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital was awarded the HHS / Critical Care Societies Outstanding Leadership in Eliminating CLABSI and VAP in 2011. She was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2013. Pat was also awarded the Michigan Hospital Association Quality and Patient Safety Leadership Award in 2017. Pat has published many articles in both clinical and quality journals. She lectures and consults extensively nationally on sepsis, critical care, patient safety, and quality topics. Pat received a Bachelor in Nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and her Masters of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17068 for 1.4 contact hours.
Other healthcare professionals will receive a certificate of attendance for 1.0 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.