Canada needs a national sepsis action plan, say researchers after deaths make headlines | CBC News

"A team of researchers is highlighting what it calls significant gaps in sepsis policies and training standards throughout Canada, which they say show the need for a co-ordinated national action plan to address sepsis. Sepsis is the body's extreme response to an infection and is a leading cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Ontario, sepsis deaths have recently made headlines, prompting discussions about hospital protocols."

"In 2017, a resolution by the World Health Assembly (WHA) the decision-making body of the WHO called on member states to create standards and guidelines for the prevention, early diagnosis and management of sepsis. Years later, some countries like the United Kingdom and Australia have developed national action plans. But researchers including Dr. Kali Barrett say Canada still has a ways to go to meet that call to action."

""We're trying to get governments' support and recognition that this is a public health emergency," said Barrett. Fatima Sheikh's research focuses on social determinants of health, which she says should be considered when developing policies related to sepsis. (Submitted by Fatima Sheikh) Barrett, along with a number of other researchers, has completed a literature review, looking at what policies exist throughout the country."

Significant gaps exist in sepsis policies and training standards throughout Canada, indicating the need for a co-ordinated national action plan. Sepsis is the body's extreme response to infection and a leading cause of death worldwide according to the World Health Organization. The World Health Assembly resolution in 2017 called on member states to create standards for prevention, early diagnosis and management of sepsis. Some countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, have developed national action plans. Most provinces, including Ontario, do not have sepsis-specific policies or guidelines, and training and hospital accreditation standards are lacking. Recent sepsis deaths in Ontario have prompted discussions about hospital protocols, and the provincial Ministry of Health did not respond to inquiries about a sepsis protocol.

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