Sepsis occurs when the body responds to infection in a way that results in the damage of its own tissue and organs. Sepsis is a massive problem in the Irish Healthcare System; in 2016, there were more than 15,000 cases of sepsis recorded in Ireland and it has been reported that 6 out of 10 hospital deaths are the result of sepsis. In order to tackle sepsis, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign have developed one bundle of therapies describing the basic management required, the ‘Sepsis Six’, has been shown to improve outcomes in septic patients. If within the first hour of sepsis recognition, the six tasks (i.e., give patient oxygen, give patient antibiotics, give patient fluids, take peripheral blood culture, assess lactate and measure urine output) are completed, the associated chance of death is reduced by as much as 50%.
Between 30-50% of patients with sepsis have positive blood cultures (i.e., tests show bacteria or fungi in the blood) and therefore it is essential that blood cultures are checked for patients that may have sepsis. Any error, or delay, in checking blood cultures may impact patient outcomes.
Our project aims to improve the performance of the taking of blood cultures among the junior doctors who are typically the first healthcare providers called to a patient and responsible for taking blood cultures. An improvement in the performance of junior doctors may produce better patient outcomes and an overall reduction in the mortality attributable to sepsis.
