Sepsis Doesn’t Always Begin in the Hospital.
Here’s what I need you to know this Sepsis Awareness Month: Most people first hear the word sepsis in an emergency room or intensive care unit. But sepsis often begins much earlier – in a home, a school, a workplace, a doctor’s office, or somewhere else in our community. It begins with an infection. Sometimes that infection follows something as ordinary as a cut or scrape. Sometimes it begins with pneumonia, a urinary tract infection, the flu, or another illness. At first, the person may not appear dangerously ill. But sepsis can develop quickly, and knowing the warning signs can save a life.
For our family, sepsis began with a scrape on our 12-year-old son Rory’s arm during gym class. It was the kind of injury children experience every day. But the scrape became infected, and Rory grew increasingly ill. Rory told the adults around him how sick he felt. We brought him for medical care and asked for help. But the seriousness of his condition was not recognized until it was too late. Rory died from sepsis in April 2012. His death taught us that the fight against sepsis cannot begin only when a patient reaches the intensive care unit. It must begin wherever the first signs of infection and illness appear.
Recognizing Sepsis in Our Communities.
Parents, school nurses, teachers, coaches, caregivers, pharmacists, and other community professionals can all play an important role in recognizing when someone is becoming seriously ill. We do not expect members of the public to diagnose sepsis. But everyone should know that an infection accompanied by a sudden or worrying decline requires urgent medical attention.
Warning signs may include:
- Confusion, unusual sleepiness, or difficulty waking
- Shortness of breath or very rapid breathing
- Fever, shivering, or feeling extremely cold
- Severe pain or discomfort
- Clammy, sweaty, pale, or discolored skin
- A rapid heartbeat
- Very little urine
- A feeling that something is seriously wrong
A child may not be able to explain exactly what is happening. They may simply seem very different from normal. Parents and caregivers know the people they care for, and their concerns must be taken seriously.
If someone has an infection and is becoming rapidly or seriously unwell, seek immediate medical care and ask: “Could this be sepsis?”
Hospitals Must Recognize Sepsis, Too.
Community awareness is only part of the solution. When people seek medical help, hospitals and healthcare professionals must be ready to recognize and treat sepsis quickly. Sepsis symptoms can resemble those of other illnesses, and too often, warning signs are missed, abnormal test results are overlooked, families are not heard, or patients are sent home without the follow-up they need. These are not small mistakes. A delay in recognizing and treating sepsis can mean the difference between recovery, lifelong disability, and death. Hospitals must have strong sepsis protocols, properly trained staff, clear systems for escalation, and a culture that listens to patients and families. When a parent says, “This is not normal for my child,” that concern should be treated as important clinical information.
Awareness should never be used to place the full responsibility on patients and families. We can learn the signs and ask the right questions, but healthcare systems have a duty to respond.
Bringing Sepsis Awareness Beyond Hospital Walls.
This Sepsis Awareness Month, END SEPSIS is bringing sepsis education into the places where people live, learn, work, and care for one another. We are developing and sharing resources for school nurses, teachers, coaches, parents, caregivers, and other community professionals. At the same time, we will continue advocating for stronger hospital practices, better data, greater accountability, and national policies that make sepsis prevention, recognition, and treatment a priority.
Awareness alone will not end preventable deaths and disabilities from sepsis. But awareness can lead to earlier questions, faster action, and lives saved. Sepsis does not begin in the hospital. Our efforts to stop it should not begin there either.
This September, please learn the signs, share them with others, and never be afraid to ask: “Could this be sepsis?”
