“One in Every 31”: Sepsis Alliance Institute Tackles All-Too-Common Healthcare-Associated Infections with Half-Day Clinical Program

Sepsis Alliance Institute announces its second Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Mini-Summit, a clinical program supported by an unrestricted medical education grant from Merck. The HAI Mini-Summit is virtual and free for healthcare providers across the continuum of care.

Following the success of the 2020 Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Mini-Summit, which drew over 2,000 registrants from across the continuum of healthcare, Sepsis Alliance Institute is excited to announce the return of the half-day educational event. This free, virtual activity will take place on December 16, 2021, and offer continuing nursing education credits to participants. 

Healthcare-associated infections are extremely common: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 31 patients contracts at least one HAI every day. For multiple reasons— likely including the redirection of limited hospital resources toward COVID-19-related care — HAIs have increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) increased 19% in 2020; ventilator-associated events (VAEs) increased 45% in 2020; and central line bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) increased 47% in 2020 (Source: CDC). Sepsis, the body’s overwhelming response to an infection, will also increase as these HAI numbers increase.  

Annual sepsis diagnoses already number around 1.7 million in this country—about as many as cancer diagnoses. Each year, sepsis causes approximately 270,000 deaths, 14,000 amputations, and many cases of post-sepsis syndrome, which can have emotional or physical effects including PTSD.  

“The increasing prevalence of HAIs and the consistently high number of sepsis cases in this country are a tremendous challenge for our frontline healthcare providers,” said Claudia Orth, Interim Director of Provider Education and Training for Sepsis Alliance. “Attention needs to be focused on reducing these numbers through better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, and one of the best ways we can do that is through comprehensive provider education.” 

The HAI Mini-Summit will offer 3.5 hours of education on a range of topics in the area of HAIs, including:  

• Peripheral intravenous line-associated bloodstream infections;  
• Non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia;
• CAUTIs & CLABSIs;
• Antimicrobial stewardship in the context of treating HAIs.,  

The event will be moderated by Dr. Cindy Hou, Infctious Disease Specialist and Infection Control Officer at Jefferson Health, New Jersey. It will include presentations from:  

• Kathleen Vollman, Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist and Consultant, Advancing Nursing LLC;  
• Dian Baker, Professor, School of Nursing, California State University, Sacramento;  
• Karen Giuliano, Co-Director, Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation, University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

In 2019, the Sepsis Alliance Institute was created to address the need for accessible and robust provider education around sepsis and related topics. The Sepsis Alliance Institute now serves as a hub for free online instruction for healthcare providers across the continuum of care. It has registered more than 20,000 learners, awarded more than 42,000 free continuing education credits, and shared nearly 80 enduring courses since its creation, including the popular Sepsis Alliance Summit. The HAI Mini-Summit will be one of the Sepsis Alliance Insitute’s most robust provider education offerings of 2021. 

To learn more and register for the activity, please visit SepsisInstitute.org. Programming updates, including a finalized agenda, will be posted on the website as they become available. 

For press and other inquiries, please contact Amanda Feinman: afeinman@sepsis.org.
For sponsorship information, please contact Savannah Stark: sstark@sepsis.org.  

This event was supported by an unrestricted medical education grant from Merck to Sepsis Alliance. All event speakers are participating on a voluntary basis; participation does not indicate a relationship between the speakers and Merck or other Sepsis Alliance supporters. 

 

About Sepsis Alliance 

Sepsis Alliance, the first and leading sepsis organization in the U.S., seeks to save lives and reduce suffering by improving sepsis awareness and care. More than 1.7 million people are diagnosed with sepsis each year in the U.S. with more than 270,000 dying and over 50% of survivors experiencing post-sepsis syndrome and other lingering effects, including amputations. At Sepsis Alliance’s founding in 2003, only 19% of U.S. adults were aware of the term “sepsis.” After over ten years of educational efforts for the general public and healthcare providers through Sepsis.org, Sepsis Alliance Clinical Community, Sepsis Alliance Institute, and Sepsis Alliance Voices, awareness is at an all-time high of 71% with over 20,000 healthcare providers across the country having attended sepsis webinars and courses to elevate their practice and over 28 Sepsis Awareness Month state proclamations. Sepsis Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and a GuideStar Platinum Rated charity. For more information, please visit www.sepsis.org and connect with Sepsis Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @SepsisAlliance.