Special Note: Many WHA members proud of their quality improvement efforts had prepared special poster presentations that were to be displayed in the Capitol Rotunda during WHA’s Advocacy Day 2020, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WHA is pleased to highlight these efforts in today’s and future editions of The Valued Voice.
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Janesville has developed a variety of approaches to decrease sepsis mortality. One key is the leadership provided by a multi-disciplinary sepsis committee, which includes physicians, nursing, lab staff, pharmacists and quality team members. They have a detailed and in-depth conversation for any opportunity to improve that includes the voice of staff at the bedside. From the committee, monthly “Lessons Learned” are distributed to hospital staff. Topics have included broad spectrum antibiotic use, resuscitation fluid options and enhanced report-off communication. Staff are encouraged to call a “Sepsis 6,” which is a rapid response team that comes to the bedside when a patient meets clinical criteria for severe sepsis. Various scorecards that are distributed monthly help to visualize progress and opportunities.
Recognition plays a huge part in buy-in, and each month the sepsis subcommittee sends out letters of congratulation to staff who have taken care of patients who met the sepsis care bundles. Biannually, “Sepsis Top Performers” are announced and shared in meetings, on internal communication boards and with executive leadership.
From the committee and staff’s hard work and dedication, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital - Janesville has been able to achieve a 12-month total observed-to-expected sepsis mortality ratio of 0.48 and for the study’s most recent six months have a SEP-1 compliance average of 82.2%. They hope that with continued dedication to provide the highest quality and safest care for every patient they encounter, their success will continue.
See the poster presentation
here.
Attribute to Sen. Janis Ringhand (D-Evansville) -
High-quality health care is one of Wisconsin’s strongest assets. I am proud to congratulate St. Mary’s in Janesville on their dedicated work, showcased by the Wisconsin Hospital Association, to reduce patient mortality from sepsis. Wisconsin’s proactive, collaborative approach to improving health care quality allows us to sustain nation-leading outcomes, ultimately benefiting patients and their families.
Attribute to Rep. Kolste (D-Janesville) -
We are learning more and more about the challenges, and successful strategies, of caring for our sickest patients. The SSM Health St. Mary’s team has risen to this challenge. I’m proud that successful quality improvement strategies developed right here in Janesville are being shared with hospitals across the state and beyond.