ERIC Number: ED667740
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5346-9100-9
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Effects of Education on Early Sepsis Recognition: A Quality Improvement Project
Heidi Tingey
ProQuest LLC, D.N.P. Dissertation, The University of Tulsa
Background: First signs and symptoms of sepsis are difficult to diagnose and often missed. This quality improvement project was designed to improve care of adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and biotherapy at a local ambulatory cancer treatment center who present with signs and symptoms of sepsis. The aim of this project was to improve early recognition of sepsis through educating nurses and staff. The study was set at an ambulatory cancer care facility in Northeastern Oklahoma. Participants included nurses, medical assistants, screeners, and escorts. Methods: This improvement project was IRB exempt. The Plan-Do-Study-Act model was used for the project. Literature review was completed to determine the need for early sepsis recognition. A PowerPoint presentation titled "Sepsis" was developed and presented by the student researcher. Participation of nurses and staff in the educational session was encouraged by management but not mandatory. Baseline assessment consisted of an audit of the internal tracking of sepsis related hospital admissions by EMSA including febrile neutropenia for three consecutive months before the intervention. The numbers of sepsis related hospital admissions including febrile neutropenia were then tracked for the same three consecutive months post intervention and compared. Intervention: The 10-minute long PowerPoint presentation was based on an article from the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (Boucher &Carpenter, 2020). The presentation included reasoning for the project, available knowledge, sepsis signs and symptoms, assessment guidelines, sepsis management, and prevention. The presentation was offered at different times over several days to accommodate participants' schedules. The average total session time was about 20 minutes. Results: 38 nurses and staff attended 14 educational session. The audit of the internal tracking of sepsis-related hospital admissions by EMSA revealed a mean of 3.33 cases per month prior to the intervention and a mean of 1.33 cases during the three consecutive months post intervention. The Chi-square test was used to assess if there was a significant statistical difference between observed and expected data. The resulting p-value was 0.5. The t-test was used to determine if a significant difference exists between hospital admissions prior to and post education. The resulting p-value was 0.71. Although the mean of the monthly admission decreased, neither p-value was statistically significant to indicate that the decline in hospital admissions was due to the education. Conclusion: Literature review has shown that staff education reduces sepsis-related hospital admissions. However, while this quality improvement project was able to show a decrease in monthly averages of sepsis-related hospital admissions by EMSA at the cancer treatment facility, it was not able to prove conclusively that these changes were due to the intervention and did not occur at random. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Nurses, Nursing, Nursing Education, Adults, Cancer, Poisoning, Physical Health, Metabolism, Diagnostic Teaching, Clinical Diagnosis, Medical Evaluation, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Allied Health Personnel, Health Facilities, Workshops, On the Job Training
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Oklahoma
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A