Revolutionizing Sepsis Management: Ochsner’s Early Detection, Intervention, and Digital Surveillance Approach Ochsner Health System

Using a collaborative approach paired with the Epic Sepsis Predictive Model and virtual nursing support: In 2023, we reduced our primary sepsis RAMI by nearly 20%, saving 112 additional lives, when compared to 2022. Improvement occurred at 23 of our 28 tracked sites. We also reduced our hospital-acquired sepsis RAMI from 3.26 to 2.89, saving 40 additional lives when compared to 2022. Improvement occurred at 24 of our 28 tracked sites. More broadly, when looking at quarterly performance for the last two years, primary sepsis RAMI went from 1.12 in Q1 of 2022 to 0.81 in Q4 of 2023, a 28% reduction from start to latest cycle.

Longer term, looking by quarter, our health system had a primary sepsis RAMI of 1.15 at its highest and 0.81, at its lowest (our most recent quarter.)

We also improved across the board by about 3% in all system-level process measure goals that were set by the system sepsis collaborative, to include 3-hour sepsis perfect care, MD ordering of sepsis panels, timely antibiotics, and nursing lactate orders being placed.

We have piloted virtual nursing sepsis surveillance at two facilities, with a third facility going live soon. In this model, a dedicated virtual nurse screens risk-stratified patients using a sepsis list and adjudicates alerts fully and accurately. When compared to non-surveillance units, we see an almost seven-fold increase in screenings and four times better sepsis bundle performance.