MONITORING a set of medical actions to help patients with severe sepsis is proving “problematic” at Worcestershire hospitals.
Dr Jules Walton, chief medical officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said the “Sepsis Six” screening pathway had been added to the trust’s electronic patient record system and had been generally welcomed by staff.
But in a report to the trust’s board she said: “Monitoring it is proving more problematic with staff not always filling out all parts of the form, recording times or going back to it to note actions that have been taken.
“This is being addressed through better communications and training.”
The Sepsis Six is a bundle of six clinical actions for patients with severe sepsis.
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They include giving oxygen, intravenous fluids and antibiotics, while taking blood cultures, measuring lactate and monitoring urine output.
Overall sepsis mortality at the trust remains “as expected” for an organisation of its size, said Dr Walton, who added: “Recorded performance is much better than before introduction of the electronic system.”