Speaking To Patients

Speaking to patients and family members about sepsis is a vital part of patient care. That said, it can be hard to find the right approach to discuss the immediate and long-term effects of the condition because sepsis is still not well known or understood by many people.

Sepsis Alliance provides information and resources that can be used by any healthcare professional to help with patient education. Selected downloadable and printable resources can be found at the bottom of the page, with more found in the Resource Library. All downloads are free of charge. If you are looking for professional resources and training, please visit Sepsis Alliance Institute.

The resources found here may also be helpful for patients and family members who have not received such information when they were hospitalized or being discharged.

Website Resources

If you are looking for ways to speak with patients and family members about sepsis, here are some website resources that may help:

  • Sepsis Basics: This top menu bar section has links to information like What is Sepsis, Risk Factors, Symptoms, and more.
  • Related Conditions: The Sepsis and library addresses over 50 conditions and other circumstances that are somehow connected to sepsis.
  • FAQs: Sepsis Alliance has collected many of the most frequently asked questions about sepsis.
  • Caregivers: You may find it helpful to give the Caregiver Guide to the patient’s loved ones so they have a better idea of what is happening. Caregivers can also join Sepsis Alliance Connect to find support from others.
  • Children: Sepsis Alliance also has resources for children, both for those who have sepsis and for their siblings or other young relatives and friends. Bug, Sepsis Alliance’s friendly ladybug, helps young children understand infections and how to prevent them.
  • Post-sepsis syndrome: Many sepsis survivors are left with lasting effects from their illness, including chronic fatigue, depression, and symptoms of PTSD. Post-sepsis syndrome (PSS) is becoming more known in the medical community, but still too many healthcare providers don’t know about or understand the issues related to PSS.
  • Support for Survivors and Loved Ones: Sepsis Alliance Connect is a virtual support community designed for the millions of people personally affected by sepsis.
  • Multi-Language Resources: Sepsis Alliance has selected resources available in Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The sepsis.org website can also be translated into multiple languages by clicking the accessibility menu icon that appears on the bottom right corner of every website page.

Updated September 4, 2026.

Downloadable and Printable Resources

When a Loved One Has Sepsis: A Caregiver’s Guide
Guide
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Sepsis Fact Sheet
Fact Sheet
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Sepsis Alliance Connect Printable Flyer
Infographic
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Tienes Sepsis. Ahora ¿Qué Sigue?
Information Guide
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Tienes Sepsis. Ahora ¿Qué Sigue?

  • To submit this form you are required to enter your first name, last name, a valid email address and your role.

You Have Sepsis. Now What? (for children)
Information Guide
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You Have Sepsis. Now What? (for children)

  • To submit this form you are required to enter your first name, last name, a valid email address and your role.

Life After Sepsis – Español
Information Guide
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Life After Sepsis – Español

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Life After Sepsis
Trifold
PreviewDigitalPrint

Life After Sepsis

My Guide to Sepsis and the Intensive Care Unit – Children
Information Guide
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My Guide to Sepsis and the Intensive Care Unit – Children

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After Discharge Checklist
Checklist
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Life After Sepsis
Information Guide
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Life After Sepsis

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Life After Sepsis
Video
View
Life After Sepsis Fact Sheet
Fact Sheet
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For additional free downloadable and printable resources, visit the Sepsis Alliance Resource Library.

Sepsis Alliance Institute

Are you looking to connect with other healthcare professionals to see how they communicate with the public? Or you want to learn more about managing sepsis?

Elevate your sepsis care with education, resources, and peer-to-peer networking. Sepsis Alliance Institute provides online sepsis education including best practices in sepsis recognition, treatment, and care. There are training modules and webinars (live and recorded), many with free RN CE credits.

Faces of Sepsis

Erin K.

Five years ago I was admitted into the hospital. I had been feeling tired and out of sorts for a few days leading up to it but just chalked it up to being busy: kid’s activities with my daughters in 4th grade and 2nd grade at the time, weddings (I’m a florist), the school PTA Auction coming up which I was chairing, and life in general. But then I started having a hard time breathing. I felt like my throat was swelling up and I woke my husband up at 5am and said I needed to go to the hospital. ... Read Full Story

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Mars H.

I was unaware that I caught a kidney infection after my high school prom in 2023. It wasn’t until I had a horrible pain in my side I mistook for hunger pangs that I knew something was wrong. I brushed it off and hoped the pain would be gone after a good night’s sleep. That next morning, I woke up disoriented, and in unimaginable pain. My mom rushed me to the ER, and I woke up in a hospital bed. They had told me I had a kidney infection and sepsis. I hadn’t heard of something like that ever being ... Read Full Story

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Aleha I.

I am a disabled veteran, work culture expert, and survivor of sepsis. Before this experience, In 2020, while serving on active duty, I underwent a total hysterectomy following years of debilitating pain. I had developed severe endometriosis as a result of a prior traumatic assault during a deployment several years earlier. The surgery itself was emotionally devastating, but I believed the worst was behind me. I was wrong. Approximately ten weeks after surgery, I developed a high fever and intense abdominal pain. (Sepsis and Surgery) Concerned, I went to seek medical care at my assigned military clinic immediately. Because I ... Read Full Story

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Dayna Selenko

I was 21 and woke up having to use the bathroom. When I couldn’t my mom came in and took my temperature which was sky high. In the hospital I was immediately admitted with adult respiratory disress syndrome, toxic shock syndrome and sepsis all from an unknown cause. They thought maybe an ear infection? Three months in a coma and 6 mo the in rehabilitation I was deemed well enough to go home. That’s when the PTSD and panic attacks began. Horrible nightmare too of my time in a coma. 30 years later. I Processing every day but it’s still ... Read Full Story

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Sean Simonic

The Night Everything Changed I was forty-four years old on May 5, 2018, when I loaded all four of my kids into the car to see Avengers: Infinity War. It was supposed to be a normal Saturday—a couple hours of popcorn, superheroes, and being a dad. But as the movie played, something inside me felt wrong. I kept coughing, over and over, each one hitting deeper than the last. Then, in the middle of that crowded theater, something exploded in my chest. It didn’t feel like a cough anymore—it felt like a bomb going off under my ribs. By that ... Read Full Story

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