Baptist Health Paducah provides education to skilled nursing facilities
Every two minutes someone dies from sepsis in the US – more than prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. Baptist Health Paducah aims to raise awareness leading up to September, which is Sepsis Awareness Month.
Every two minutes someone dies from sepsis in the US – more than prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. Baptist Health Paducah aims to raise awareness leading up to September, which is Sepsis Awareness Month.
A team of nurses from Baptist Health Paducah met with representatives from Clearview Healthcare facilities on Wednesday to provide sepsis education. Education training also will take place next week. The facilities include Stonecreek Health and Rehabilitation in Paducah, Countryside Nursing and Rehab in Bardwell, Clinton Place and Fulton Nursing and Rehab.
The Baptist team included Tammy Brown, RN, Quality director; Amy Terry, RN, Case Management director; Mary Lee Evers, RN, Infection Control preventionist; Wanda Carnes, RN, Infection Control preventionist, and JoAshley Ross, RN, Sepsis coordinator. The information they provided included the importance of early identification of sepsis, preventing infections through handwashing, progression of sepsis and sepsis treatment bundles.
Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. This extreme inflammatory response (swelling) in the body is frequently caused by a bacterial or viral infection, such as pneumonia or influenza, but it can be caused by parasitic or fungal infections. The body’s immune system, which is supposed to fight off the infection, goes into overdrive and begins to attack your body. It is life threatening, and without prompt treatment, often rapidly leads to tissue damage, organ failure and death.
According to the Sepsis Alliance, many sepsis patients require skilled nursing care after discharge from a hospital and they are at high risk for recurrent sepsis, generally caused by another infection.
“It is important for skilled nursing facilities and hospitals to work collaboratively through educational opportunities, process development, resource sharing and communication to improve the outcomes of patients,” Brown said.
The four most common infections that can lead to sepsis are lung infection, urinary tract infection, gut infection and skin infection. It is important to know the signs and symptoms to act fast. Visit www.cdc.gov/sepsis to learn more about sepsis and how to prevent infections.