Sepsis: First Response, EMS Training Module
August 13, 2018
Sepsis Alliance Launches First Responder Sepsis Education Video and Training Module
“Sepsis: First Response” is endorsed by the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of EMS Educators
San Diego, Calif, August 13, 2018 – On Saturday, August 11, 2018, Sepsis Alliance, the nation’s leading sepsis organization, launched Sepsis: First Response, a 15-minute educational video and 60-minute training module that provides Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel with the tools to rapidly identify and begin treating sepsis cases in the field. Sepsis is the body’s life-threatening reaction to an infection that takes more than 270,000 lives a year in the United States.
As many as 87% of sepsis cases originate in the patient’s community. First responders are often the first medical providers to reach these cases. They transport as many as 50% of patients with severe sepsis arriving at the emergency department.
“From the CDC perspective, sepsis isn’t just a medical emergency, it’s a public health issue,” said Lauren Epstein, MD, Medical Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who provides expert commentary in the education video. “First responders can have an enormous impact on the care that patients receive.”
“We created Sepsis: First Response because when EMS personnel are trained to recognize sepsis and begin treatment in the field, they save lives,” said Thomas Heymann, Executive Director of Sepsis Alliance.
Pre-hospital care provided by EMS personnel can lead to faster treatment times for sepsis patients in the emergency department. As many as 80% of sepsis deaths could be prevented with rapid diagnosis and treatment. In addition, in one recent study, sepsis patients had a lower mortality rate when they were treated by EMS personnel that received sepsis-specific training.
Led by award-winning EMS educator Rom Duckworth, a Fire Captain and EMS Coordinator with 30 years of experience, Sepsis: First Response also offers any pre-hospital care providers the tools to not only identify sepsis and begin treatment but to effectively coordinate care with the emergency department and their in-hospital colleagues.
“In Sepsis: First Response we emphasize the importance of pre-hospital recognition of sepsis along with good collaboration with the emergency department staff by providing key information about the patient’s status and saying ‘I’m concerned about sepsis,’” said Duckworth.
Sepsis: First Response also features expert commentary from Chris Seymour, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Sepsis: First Response has been endorsed by the National Association of EMS Physicians, the National Association of EMS Educators, and the New England Center for Rescue and Emergency Medicine.
To access both the Sepsis: First Response 15-minute education video and 60-minute training module, which can be downloaded and viewed separately, please visit www.sepsis.org/sepsis-first-response. Other sepsis resources for EMS providers, including an infographic, educational poster, ambulance decals, and symptoms badge buddies, are also available on this landing page.
Sepsis: First Response was produced for Sepsis Alliance by Synapse Productions. Sepsis Alliance would like to thank its sponsors, which include: Del E. Webb Foundation, Jill Kogan Blake, Aquamania, Harbor Point Charitable Foundation, LifeFlow, and Laerdal.
About Sepsis Alliance:
Sepsis Alliance is the leading sepsis organization in the U.S., working in all 50 states to save lives and reduce suffering by raising awareness of sepsis as a medical emergency. Sepsis Alliance is a charitable organization run by a dedicated team that shares a strong commitment to battling sepsis. The organization was founded in 2007 by Carl Flatley, DDS, MSD, whose daughter Erin unnecessarily died of sepsis when she was 23 years old. Sepsis Alliance gives a voice to the millions of people who have been touched by sepsis – to the survivors, and the friends and family members of those who have survived or who have died. For more information, please visit www.sepsis.org. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter at @SepsisAlliance.
Media Relations Contact
Sepsis Alliance
Angelica Estrada
Tel: 619-232-0300
