What is CDC Doing?

CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion’s sepsis-related work includes:

• Understanding the epidemiology of sepsis by assessing the adult sepsis burden and identifying potential opportunities to improve outcomes of people with sepsis. See Incidence and Trends of Sepsis in US Hospitals Using Clinical vs Claims Data, 2009-2014 and Assessment of Health Care Exposures and Outcomes in Adult Patients With Sepsis and Septic Shock.
• Developing tools for tracking sepsis, such as the Hospital Toolkit for Adult Sepsis Surveillance [PDF – 32 pages], to help healthcare facilities assess adult sepsis incidence within their facilities.
• Working with partners, including the CDC Prevention Epicenters, and other Federal agencies, to develop innovative ways to improve sepsis early detection and treatment.
• Promoting early recognition and timely treatment of sepsis through:
  • Get Ahead of Sepsis, CDC’s educational effort for patients, healthcare professionals, and the general public—information available on the Educational Information page of this website.
  • Collaboration with partners, clinical organizations, and consumer groups to implement sepsis awareness efforts and improve antibiotic prescribing and use.
• Preventing infections in health care settings and in the community so that infections that can lead to sepsis can be stopped before they happen. See Infection Control.