Project Background and Objective

Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. According to CDC statistics, every year more than1.7 million adults in the U.S. develop sepsis, and nearly 270,000 die from sepsis. Identification of sepsis in its early stages upon presentation to the emergency department is vital in preventing significant organ injury, prolonged hospitalization, and potentially death. Effective care of critically ill patients requires reliable systems that mitigate unintended deviation from best practice, caused by cognitive overload, temporary slips in knowledge, or interferences in workflows. Numerous medical organizations recognize these issues and have published best practice guidelines. However, adherence to guidelines is an acknowledged challenge. We propose a computerized pediatric sepsis best practice guidance system for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of pediatric sepsis. OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois and UIUC have been working together to transform OSF’s internal pediatric sepsis guideline into a computerized guidance system: The Pediatric Sepsis Best Practice Guidance System. This effort was initiated by the strong support from Dr. Richard H. Pearl, Director of Pediatric Trauma and Surgeon-in-Chief at OSF. After he retired, OSF Pediatrics experts Dr. Jonathan Gehlbach and Dr. Paul Jeziorczak took over the baton and moved this project forward. The system is now ready to be clinically evaluated.

Prototype

The Pediatric Sepsis Best Practice Guidance System is implemented in the form of a guidance that can be accessed via tablet or web URL.

Clinical Evaluation

The Pediatric Sepsis Best Practice Guidance System is now ready to be evaluated at Jump Simulation. Phase 1 of the study will consist of a series of experiments with eLearning pediatric sepsis simulated cases. Subsequent study phases will be contingent on results shown in Phase 1, though we expect that the results will be promising. OSF will seek FDA approval and NIH support to conduct further research and clinical trials.