Diagnostic Excellence Program

Using education and technology for accurate and rapid-cycle sepsis diagnosis.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) to fund a diagnostic excellence program focusing on using education and technology for accurate and rapid-cycle sepsis diagnosis. This program will develop online education with subject matter experts that will:

Improve early sepsis detection and reduce delays and errors in diagnosis
Address clinician implicit bias that may impact delays and errors in diagnosis, ensuring a safer, more equitable healthcare environment
Describe the impact of diagnostic delays and errors, sepsis, and septic shock on the organization’s bottom line and reputation in the community
Disseminate just-in-time strategies and toolkits that impact patient outcomes and reduce delays and errors in diagnosis, particularly when ruling out sepsis and septic shock

This program supports the development and dissemination of resources and programs to improve the timeliness, accuracy, safety, efficiency, patient-centeredness, and equity of diagnostic outcomes for patients in the United States.

New! SCCM has been awarded a second grant from CMSS to develop a feedback mechanism for receiving ICU clinicians of patients with sepsis.

This program is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through a grant program administered by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies.

Society of Critical Care Medicine contact: Susan R. Lacey, PhD, RN, CNL, FAAN

Current Topic: Feedback Systems for Clinicians of Patients With Sepsis

What we learned:

Receiving clinicians want to provide feedback but sometimes do not.
Receiving clinicians think the most valuable feedback is to tell the referring clinicians how to stabilize a septic patient prior to transport.
Referring clinicians want feedback about the best way to stabilize a septic patient prior to transport.
Referring clinicians want to know the disposition of the patient.

Listen to the podcast and watch the webcast for more information on this topic.