title: The impact of an electronic medical record surveillance program on outcomes for patients with sepsis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects of this EMR surveillance on sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock outcomes in patients admitted to a medical telemetry unit, including length of hospital stay, patient discharge and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of pre- and post-implementation of a pilot electronic medical record (EMR) sepsis surveillance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Implementing EMR sepsis surveillance significantly improved home discharge (49.0% versus 25.3%, p < .05) and reduced hospital mortality (1.0% versus 9.3%, p < .05). Although there was no difference in the length of hospital stay for the whole group, patients in the surveillance group who triggered an alert on the EMR surveillance had a decreased length of hospital stay compared to those without an alert (7.2 ± 4.2 versus 11.6 ± 9.4 days, p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results offer promising evidence that the use of an EMR sepsis surveillance alert could decrease the ravishing effects of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock by early identification and treatment.
authors: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; St. Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis, MO, USA. Electronic address: lmcree@email.arizona.edu.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: McRee
authors: St. Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors: Joanne L
authors: JL
authors: Thanavaro
authors: St. Louis University School of Nursing, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Moore
authors: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors: Melissa
authors: M
authors: Goldsmith
authors: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors: Alice
authors: A
authors: Pasvogel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Electronic medical record; Mortality; Sepsis; Sepsis campaign; Sepsis surveillance