Date of Award

Summer 2023

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Family Nurse Practitioner

Department

Nursing

Faculty Chair

Dr. Heather Wallace

Preceptor

Dr. Joshua Williams

Mentor

Mandy Kisor

Abstract

Background: Sepsis is a multisystem disease that occurs when the human body reacts to a severe infection in the body. Sepsis is a life-threatening response that can lead to multisystem organ failure and even death. Sepsis is the number one cost of hospitalization and is estimated to be $62 billion annually (Sepsis Alliance, 2022). This disease affects at least 1.7 million adults yearly in the United States, and nearly 270,000 die from it (National Institute of General Medical Statistics [NIGMS], 2021).

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to improve the compliance rate of the sepsis bundle with evidence-based practices by educating physicians in the Emergency Department (ED) on the SEP-1 guidelines and the utilization of a sepsis order set.

Methods: The quality improvement project educated 100% of ED physicians on the SEP-1 guidelines and how to utilize the order set. Chart reviews were performed monthly, and the outcomes were compared to scores collected from pre-interventional education.

Results: Key findings from the project implementation show a statistically significant increase in the sepsis order set's utilization and compliance with the sepsis SEP-1 bundle. Pre-intervention showed 71.8% adherence, and post-intervention showed 75% adherence to the bundle criteria.

Conclusion: The DNP project accentuated the need for hospitals and emergency departments to prioritize the implementation of an educational program with the SEP-1 evidence-based standards. Interventional education was highly effective in improving bundle compliance in the emergency department for adult patients diagnosed with sepsis.

Keywords: adults, sepsis bundle, sepsis guidelines, bundle compliance, compliance

Included in

Nursing Commons

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