World Sepsis Day, held every 13 September, represents an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against sepsis, which accounts for at least one in five deaths worldwide, annually.
Once again this year, the National Sepsis Program in Qatar marks World Sepsis Day by promoting Sepsis awareness and education among healthcare professionals and the public.
What is sepsis?
Sepsis is a serious illness caused by an infection like pneumonia or diarrheal illness. It arises when an infection alters the body’s normal response, causing injury to tissue and organs. Once contracted, septic shock can quickly lead to the failure of several organs, such as lungs, kidneys and liver, and this can be fatal in some cases. However, there is still a serious lack of knowledge among people in many countries, which makes sepsis the number one preventable cause of death worldwide.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Chief Medical Officer Dr Abdulla Al-Ansari said that sepsis remains a strategic focus of the quality and performance improvement measures at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
According to the Sepsis Alliance, sepsis affects 1.7 million people and claims approximately 270,000 lives every year in the United States. Sepsis takes more lives than opioids, breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. The latest research has shown that hospitalised COVID patients are 22% more likely to develop serious sepsis leading to septic shock as compared to hospitalisation due to influenza.
Dr Al-Ansari said that sepsis is a high-risk condition and remains a strategic focus of the MoPH. The ministry issues clear national guidelines on the diagnosis and management of sepsis, which is a significant accomplishment of the Qatar National Sepsis Program. The programme remains an important initiative to promote public education and enhance the healthcare professional’s knowledge of sepsis, including detection and treatment, based on international best practices.
National recognition of the risks associated with sepsis has led to the disease remaining a top priority in Qatar’s national health system.
Qatar’s National Sepsis Program
The National Sepsis Program, which helps govern the approach to sepsis care, was restructured over the last year following greater awareness of the link between sepsis and COVID-19. The updated programme utilises stronger collaboration between expert clinicians at HMC, the Primary Healthcare Corporation and Sidra Medicine to advance sepsis care and outcomes across the healthcare sector.
Dr Ahmed Al Mohammed, Chairman of the HMC Department of Internal Medicine and of the Critical Care Network, explained that although sepsis is a medical emergency, few people know the facts about the illness. He said that knowledge of key facts is crucial in ensuring sepsis is prevented or managed effectively.
For instance, one important fact is that sepsis can often be prevented by vaccination and at this time it is important to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Another fact is that 80% of sepsis cases occur outside of hospitals. This makes it essential for the public to be aware of the signs and symptoms of sepsis so they can seek urgent medical care if they suspect sepsis.
We wholeheartedly support the annual sepsis campaign organised by the National Sepsis Program committee.
National Sepsis Program Lead Dr Abdul Salam Saif said that the programme continues to support the global sepsis campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of the medical emergency.
He said that the National Sepsis Program enables them to develop, implement and monitor relevant clinical guidelines and protocols, based on international best practices, for all frontline healthcare staff to follow.
We have updated our sepsis management for different patient populations, for instance, the treatment approach for adults will differ slightly from that for children. Recognising the differences across the system, the programme facilitates innovations within each facility and speciality to enable the best treatment approach to be implemented.
Dr Saif added that during the pandemic, evidence emerged that COVID-19 can cause sepsis. By adhering to appropriate infection control and sepsis management guidelines in the health system, he said that they have achieved demonstrable success in fighting COVID-19 with low morbidity and mortality in patients requiring admissions to hospitals. Such results are what the National Sepsis Program strives for and will continue to work for in the future.
The World Health Organization states that sepsis can be the clinical manifestation of infections acquired both in the community setting or in healthcare facilities. Healthcare-associated infections are among the most frequent type of adverse events to occur during care delivery. It affects millions of patients worldwide every year. Since these infections are often resistant to antibiotics, they can rapidly lead to deteriorating clinical conditions.
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