​​​​Authored by Sepsis Alliance​

Sepsis, the body’s toxic and overwhelming response to infection, affects 1.7 million people in the U.S. and takes the lives of an estimated 350,000 U.S. adults each year. Yet, only 66% of U.S. adults know the term “sepsis” and less than 19% can identify the top four symptoms that would lead them to seek emergency care. These scary numbers are why sepsis awareness is important amongst the general population and why we need increased knowledge of sepsis diagnosis, treatment, care, and after-care in the healthcare professional community. Sepsis Alliance is proud to work with the TRAIN Learning Network (TRAIN) as a course provider to offer a selection of highly-rated Sepsis Alliance Institute (SAI) courses.

​​SAI was launched by Sepsis Alliance in 2019 as an online learning platform providing healthcare professionals across the continuum of care with high-quality, evidence-based sepsis education and training to improve diagnosis and outcomes for the millions who are harmed by sepsis each year. Offering RN CE credits, SAI has become a free hub for healthcare professionals to learn, connect, and share the resources that have improved their practice. Over 35,000 healthcare professionals have earned nearly 90,000 RN CE credits since 2019.

The importance of recognizing sepsis falls on both sides. The general public needs to know the signs and symptoms to seek emergency care, and healthcare professionals need the tools and knowledge to recognize sepsis and begin treatment quickly. For every hour that treatment is delayed, the risk of mortality from sepsis increases by 4-9%, and as many as 80% of septic shock patients can be saved with rapid diagnosis and treatment. Of those who are able to pull through and survive sepsis, they have a shortened life expectancy and are more likely to suffer from impaired quality of life, often experiencing worsened cognitive and physical function.

Not only is rapid diagnosis and treatment important, but healthcare professionals having the tools to help sepsis survivors return to life after the hospital is crucial. Working with TRAIN as a course provider, SAI has been able to make these tools more accessible.

“Sepsis Alliance saw early on that solely educating the general public wasn’t going to fulfill our mission to save lives and reduce suffering by improving sepsis awareness and care,” said Thomas Heymann, Sepsis Alliance President and CEO. “Though awareness has gone up in the general U.S. adult population, from 19% in 2003 to the 66% we see today, making sure healthcare professionals have the tools when our general population recognizes the signs and symptoms of sepsis is vital. This collaboration with TRAIN is a leap towards a greater understanding of sepsis, which will save lives.”