HMS Sepsis Toolkit 

To ensure effective leadership and accountability in a sepsis program, hospitals should designate dedicated leaders, including a nurse and physician, appoint an executive sponsor, and conduct regular assessments and goal setting informed by hospital data and clinical guidelines. A multidisciplinary team with broad representation should be supported with adequate resources, time, and IT/data analytics to implement and sustain program activities, drive engagement, and promote continuous improvement.

To support effective sepsis care, institutions should develop locally adapted guidelines that address all phases of sepsis management—from screening and diagnosis to treatment, discharge planning, and patient education—and integrate these into hospital systems such as order sets and staff training. Successful implementation requires multidisciplinary coordination, provider and patient education, structured handoff and discharge processes, and tools like clinical decision support to encourage guideline adoption and improve outcomes.

A multidisciplinary sepsis team should assess current performance, identify gaps, and implement targeted actions to address root causes, with a focus on education, timely treatment, and process improvement. Strategies include ongoing provider education, real-time audit and feedback, potential use of “Code Sepsis” alerts, optimizing antibiotic access, and walking care areas to uncover barriers and enhance early recognition and treatment.

The sepsis team should evaluate current performance, identify gaps, and address root causes through targeted action plans. Key strategies include educating all provider levels on evidence-based interventions supported by research and establishing ongoing discipline-specific education, along with providing direct audit and feedback on bundle compliance.

To improve ICU-to-floor transitions for sepsis patients, key bundle measures include timely removal or justification of temporary CVCs and urinary catheters, clear communication of volume status and antibiotic plans, minimizing controlled substances, and conducting delirium assessments. Achieving these goals requires performance review by the sepsis team, gap analysis with targeted interventions, and development of structured handoff processes to ensure safe and effective care transitions.

To support recovery and safe discharge for sepsis patients, key practices include assessing baseline function, engaging PT/OT, documenting goals of care, and ensuring timely post-discharge follow-up, symptom guidance, and medication management. The sepsis team should evaluate current recovery and discharge processes, implement strategies to reduce post-sepsis and post-ICU syndrome, and consider structured approaches like Project RED to enhance continuity of care.

To strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in sepsis care, institutions should engage ID physicians, pharmacists, and nurses in sepsis committees, appoint local leads, and meet regularly to review data and implement targeted interventions. Strategies include using behavioral economics to guide prescribing, documenting antibiotic details, conducting antibiotic time-outs, tailoring therapy based on culture results, and ensuring protocols for both rapid initiation and timely reassessment of antibiotics in line with CDC stewardship guidelines.

To implement and sustain quality improvements in sepsis care, a multidisciplinary team should prioritize and implement interventions, integrate tools into the EMR, and engage stakeholders, while continuously evaluating effectiveness through feedback, data analysis, and regular meetings. Sustained improvement should be supported through audits, outcome tracking, performance boards, and routine staff huddles to reinforce a culture of ongoing improvement.