Exploring Sepsis-Related Topics in Healthcare: The Second Annual Sepsis Alliance Summit

Sepsis Alliance announces its second annual Sepsis Alliance Summit, presented by T2 Biosystems, which will cover a wide range of sepsis-related topics across three days of virtual expert-led content.  

After the success of last year’s inaugural Sepsis Alliance Summit, which drew 4,000 registrants from across the continuum of healthcare, Sepsis Alliance is excited to announce the return of the popular educational event. The free virtual conference will be expanding from two to three days of content this year, and will convene on September 14th, 15th, and 16th, in tandem with Sepsis Awareness Month. Free continuing nursing education credits will be available on days two and three. 

Sepsis is dangerous, common, and often under-discussed. It is the #1 cause of death in U.S. hospitals; it takes the lives of approximately 270,000 Americans every year and causes an estimated 14,000 amputations. It is also the #1 cost of hospitalizations in the United States, with a price tag of $52 billion per year for inpatient care alone. An epidemic of such size does not leave any community unimpacted, but some populations bear a disproportionate burden of sepsis-related suffering: among those most affected are older adults, rural communities, communities of low socioeconomic status, communities of color, patients with developmental disabilities, and those with chronic comorbidities.  

Because sepsis is a complex syndrome that is tricky to diagnose and treat, it also poses immense challenges for healthcare providers. Accurate and up-to-date sepsis education is essential for providers to suspect sepsis at its earliest signs, intervene quickly with the most strategic and appropriate therapies, and provide high-quality care to a broad range of populations—many with divergent needs. “Sepsis has been the penultimate challenge for millennia,” explains Karin Molander, MD, FACEP, emergency medicine physician and Sepsis Alliance Board Chair. “A quote that is sometimes attributed to Hippocrates is: ‘when sepsis is difficult to diagnose it is easy to treat, and when it is easy to diagnose it is difficult to treat.’ One thing still holds true: we need to educate across the continuum of care.” But free, comprehensive, sepsis-specific education hasn’t always been easy to find. 

In 2019, the Sepsis Alliance Institute was established to address the need for accessible and robust provider education around sepsis. The Sepsis Alliance Institute now serves as a hub for free online instruction for healthcare providers on sepsis-related topics: it has registered more than 16,000 learners, awarded more than 32,000 free continuing education credits, and shared nearly 70 enduring courses since its creation. The Sepsis Alliance Summit is Sepsis Alliance’s largest annual provider education event.  

This year, attendees can expect engaging sessions on a broad range of sepsis-related issues, including:  

• Optimizing antibiotic treatment for sepsis patients;  
• Care considerations for high-risk immunocompromised, developmentally disabled, and aging populations;  
• Preventing maternal morbidity from sepsis;  
• The creation and maintenance of sepsis navigator programs; and more.  

Among the expert speakers and presenters, attendees will hear from:  

• Chanu Rhee, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School;  
• Melissa E. Bauer, DO, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Duke University School of Medicine;  
• Sean R. Townsend, MD, FCCM, Vice President of Quality & Safety at California Pacific Medical Center—and a steward of the SEP-1 process measure, on which he’ll be speaking in September.   

“We’re thrilled to be back with our second year of exciting Sepsis Alliance Summit programming,” said Tom Heymann, President & CEO of Sepsis Alliance. “Accurate and comprehensive sepsis education for healthcare providers across the full continuum of care is one of our best tools in the fight against sepsis. It continues to be a cornerstone of our work—and the Sepsis Alliance Summit will continue expanding its scope and reach.”  

To learn more and register for the event, please visit SepsisSummit.org. Programming updates 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.  

Sepsis Alliance gratefully acknowledges the support provided for the Sepsis Alliance Summit by all of our sponsors. 

 

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.