Sepsis Alliance, the nation’s leading sepsis organization, and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) are proud to announce their new partnership to combat sepsis and help save lives.
Sepsis is the body’s life-threatening reaction to an infection. In the United States, sepsis affects 1.7 million people and takes 270,000 lives. As many as 87% of sepsis cases originate in the patient’s community. EMS and prehospital practitioners are often the first medical providers to reach these cases. They transport as many as 50% of patients with severe sepsis who arrive at the emergency department.
“Through our partnership with NAEMT, we will reach a broader scope of EMS and prehospital practitioners to provide them with the knowledge to recognize sepsis, begin the appropriate treatment, and save lives,” said Thomas Heymann, Sepsis Alliance Executive Director. “Sepsis Alliance has developed a great curriculum of sepsis educational resources specifically designed for EMS and prehospital practitioners that we are so excited to share with NAEMT.”
“EMS practitioners are often a sepsis patient’s first contact into the healthcare system and in severe cases, the timely assessment and treatment they provide can greatly impact patient outcomes,” said Dennis Rowe, NAEMT President. “EMS practitioners are uniquely positioned to improve the early and vital care of sepsis patients – at home, in transport and during transfers – while protecting themselves and the wider community. Resources from the Sepsis Alliance will reinforce the importance of sepsis awareness and latest knowledge for the best patient care.”
Sepsis Alliance and NAEMT will provide sepsis educational tools, including Sepsis: First Response a training module, to EMS and prehospital practitioners via a webpage to be housed on www.naemt.org. This collaboration will also include the publication of an article about sepsis in NAEMT News, and a survey to gauge sepsis awareness among EMS and prehospital practitioners. This survey will be released in February of 2019.
To access sepsis educational resources for EMS and prehospital practitioners, please visit www.sepsis.org/sepsis-first-response. To learn more about NAEMT, please visit www.naemt.org.