Abstract
Sepsis affects 40,00 children a year, with a mortality rate of 4,500 annually. For hospitalized children sepsis lengthens hospital stays, increases the overall complexity of care, leads to increased cost, and leads to life altering complications. The Children's Hospital Association's collaborative called Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) aims to reduce sepsis mortality by 75%. The outcomes and treatment of sepsis are dependent on the identification and adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines. Early identification and evidence based interventions results in improved outcomes in pediatric sepsis. Identification alone can be difficult without a consistent approach, and treatment can range based on provider. Without an electronic pathway sepsis identification is cited at 72% (Balamuth, et al 2017). This project utilized a retrospective chart review to evaluate the current identification tool for pediatric sepsis in an urban Midwestern city children's hospital's emergency department. This retrospective chart review found that of the 32,82 patients that presented to the emergency department in 2017, seven were found to be septic within 24 hours of their admission. Of these seven patients, three correctly flagged on the current screening used in the emergency department, and two patients received treatment with in the recommended time frame.