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In nursing, there are certain specialties in which you might see a disease process more than others. Sepsis, however, knows no speciality. It unfortunately can be found in any area of nursing. Recognizing, notifying and implementing quality care to patients with an admitting, new or suspected diagnosis of sepsis is crucial. Time is tissue with septic patients. They have the capability of going south quickly. Working in the ICU, I believe I have had more septic patients than any other admitting diagnosis. They need interventions implemented within an appropriate time frame to prevent poorer outcomes or death. Lack of communication is a reason why some interventions are not completed or are not fully disclosed leaving the receiving nurse confused as to what is still to be done during sepsis protocols. My project was to implemented a sepsis handoff tool that was to be filled out by nurses to keep up to date on vitals, labs, interventions, blood cultures, fluid resuscitation & vasopressor support, antibiotics as well as the three and six hour bundles.
A conference I would want to present this information to would be a conference within the Sepsis Alliance Clinical Community (SACC). Each year, SACC holds an annual sepsis conference with national and international speakers. The intention of such conference is to share experiences and evidence on variouds issues related to sepsis. This conference is to improve the awareness and diagnosis of sepsis as well as how to manage it. A journal I would present my topic in would be the “Journal on Quality and Patient Safety” by the Joint Commission. This professional journal focuses on patients safety by implementing quality improvement strategies. It quite often has chapters based off communication, whether using the SBAR technique or handoff tools.