Today – September 17 – is World Patient Safety Day.

No one should be harmed in healthcare. Yet thousands of patients across the world suffer avoidable harm or are put at risk of injury while receiving healthcare every single day. Women and newborns are especially at risk, did you know that every day:

• nearly 5,400 stillbirths occur

• 810 women lose their lives

• 6700 newborns lose their lives?

Most of these lives can be saved through the provision of safe care. This is especially important in the context of the disruption of health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has further compounded the situation.

Sepsis is one of the biggest threats to patient safety worldwide, affecting 47 to 50 million people a year, many of them preventable. Therefore, the Global Sepsis Alliance wholeheartedly supports World Patient Safety Day and encourages you to participate.

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#Uniteforsafecare Virtual Event

Our Friends from the Patient Safety Movement Foundation are hosting a free #Uniteforsafecare Virtual Event, happening today at 20:00h CEST.

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About World Patient Safety Day

Recognizing patient safety as a global health priority, all 194 WHO Member States at the 72nd World Health Assembly, in May 2019, endorsed the establishment of World Patient Safety Day (Resolution WHA72.6), to be marked annually on 17 September. The objectives of World Patient Safety Day are to increase public awareness and engagement, enhance global understanding, and spur global solidarity and action to promote patient safety.

Update: We are extending the deadline to upload your events to be featured on the 2021 WSD Event Poster to October 13 - Wednesday next week. Please submit your events by then using the form on the WSD website.

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Original article:

Yesterday, September 13, was World Sepsis Day. Countless events all over the world raised awareness for sepsis, the most preventable cause of death worldwide - thank you so much for participating and contributing to saving lives worldwide.

Like in the last years, we will summarize all events on the 2021 WSD Event Poster - please upload your event now, it takes less than a minute. The form closes in two weeks, on September 28 - please upload your event before that date.

This World Sepsis Day, we are incredibly excited to finally launch the World Sepsis Day Quiz, allowing you to quickly and easily test your knowledge about sepsis. The quiz is available in an online version on our website as well as a PDF download to print at home or work, in both a version for the general public as well as a version for medical professionals.

What score can you get? Can a friend, colleague, or family member get a higher score? Why not send the quiz to a loved one so they learn about sepsis?

As always, we’ve put a lot of thought and time into the new WSD Quiz – please contact us to give feedback so we can improve it even further. Lastly, please consider donating to support the ongoing development of our free sepsis awareness resources – thanks!

Today is World Sepsis Day - countless events in all parts of the world are raising awareness for sepsis over the next hours and days.

In addition to joining local WSD Events (with a mask, keeping the distance, and hopefully vaccinated), here are some last-minute tips to get involved online or in your institution:

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Sign the World Sepsis Declaration

The new 2030 World Sepsis Declaration sets our goals and key targets for the next decade and serves as the north star of our global efforts, jointly with the WHO Resolution on Sepsis. You can virtually sign it to show your support - think of it as a petition against sepsis.

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Follow Us on Social Media

We are ‘World Sepsis Day’ on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook - make sure to follow us if you aren’t yet.

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Take/Share the World Sepsis Day Quiz

Test your knowledge about sepsis or challenge a colleague, friend, or family member. Available in a version for the general public as well as for medical professionals - both in an online version as well as a printable PDF version…

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Post to Your Social Media

Posting to your personal or company social media account raises awareness and helps to save lives. Templates for posts are below - it’s as simple as copying and pasting. All posts are 280 characters or less, meaning they work on Twitter effortlessly. Most work best with a WSD Infographic or one of our Sepsis Awareness Clips…

• 1 in 5 deaths globally is associated with #sepsis. Do you know the symptoms, sources, and risk groups of sepsis? This #WorldSepsisDay, share this video with a loved one - it could save their lives! https://youtu.be/NsPDjOX8QHA

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide, including #COVID19. These are the most common #sources of #sepsis.

• Sepsis is not only a medical #emergency, but also a global health crisis, affecting between 47 and 50 million people a year - September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay. Join us in raising awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay - I am/We are participating to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis and #savelives

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay! While everybody can get sepsis, certain people are at an even higher risk. Join us in raising #awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately - if you see 2 or more #symptoms, act immediately. #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. It can be prevented by #vaccination, #sanitation, and #awareness. Everything depends on #you! Join us and #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis does not end at hospital discharge - many #sepsissurvivors face lifelong consequences. Join us to raise awareness! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Join our global movement now - it is as easy as downloading our free #infographics or #sepsis #awareness clips from worldsepsisday.org/toolkits and posting them from your account. Raising awareness starts with #you. #stopsepsis #savelives

• I am participating in the #WorldSepsisDay #Photochallenge to raise awareness for #sepsis, a disease affecting 47 to 50 million people annually, but often neglected by #policymakers, the general public, and even #healthcare #professionals - join the global movement now!

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am participating in the #photochallenge to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis #savelives

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Hashtags

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are:

• #WorldSepsisDay

• #Sepsis

• #StopSepsis

• #SaveLives

We explicitly discourage using #WorldSepsisDay2021, #WSD21, or #WSD - if we want to ‘trend’, it is imperative we all use the same hashtags.

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Infographics, Sepsis Awareness Clips, Posters, Fact Sheet, and More Free Resources

Our WSD Toolkit Section has tons of new material in many languages - including fact sheets, Sepsis Awareness Clips (covering symptoms, sources, risk groups, and more in about 30 seconds), posters, wallpapers, and of course our WSD Infographics in nine languages, among many other things - all for free and just two clicks away. You can use the material on social media or anywhere else on the internet, or even print it.

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WSD Photo Boards

The WSD Photo Boards are a quick and easy way to raise awareness for sepsis and show your support for World Sepsis Day - simply print the photo board you like best, write your name on it, take a picture, and upload to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, or wherever you like.

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Sepsis in 3 Minutes

One of the easiest ways to let your loved ones know about sepsis remains to send them our video ‘What Is Sepsis? - Sepsis Explained in 3 Minutes’ - and it’s now available in 9 languages. The video explains many facets of the complex topic that is sepsis in just 3 minutes.

Please send the video to your loved ones - it could save their life:

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Press Release

A press release is also available.

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2021 WSD Event Poster

After World Sepsis Day, the 2021 WSD Event Poster will summarize all events that took place around WSD this year - make sure to take some pictures.

On September 14th, we will have a form available here (URL to bookmark: www.worldsepsisday.org/wsdposter) allowing you to upload a short description of your event and the best picture, to be featured on the poster. The poster will be made available for download later this year, and be printed and shipped to you later this year or early next year.

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Donate to World Sepsis Day

We are a small non-profit charity trying to make the world a better place - every cent helps and will be put to good use.

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Thank you

Thank you so much for supporting World Sepsis Day - it really means the world to us.

For any questions, please contact us. Due to sheer volume, please allow us a couple of days to respond.

SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE IT ARE THERE, AND MUST BE URGENTLY EMBRACED BY HEALTH SYSTEMS.

This year’s World Sepsis Day occurs at a stage where, among 210 million COVID-19 survivors, a large proportion of them have developed or are at risk of developing long-Covid symptoms. Among the most common ones are fatigue, muscle weakness, difficulties of breathing and cognitive impairment, which can last for months[1].

Sepsis - the life-threatening body response to an infection – affects 52% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 78% of those in ICU[2]. After hospital-treated sepsis, up to 75% of survivors suffer from new diseases and 32% are newly dependent on nursing care[3]. Every second COVID-19 patient reports at least one new symptom after four months[4].

“This demonstrate once more that sepsis must be a priority for every national health system and for the work programs of international organizations such as, for example, WHO, European Commission, ASEAN, African Union, G20, G7 and others. The response to the pandemic by healthcare providers, government and authorities has been unprecedented. The world must have the same vigorous response regarding sepsis”, says Niranjan ‘Tex’ Kissoon, GSA President.

In 2017 the World Health Assembly approved the Resolution 70.7 urging member states to integrate sepsis in their public health systems. Despite some remarkable progress, to date too few countries have made significant steps in this direction.

“This is the second World Sepsis Day that is celebrated during a pandemic that is only increasing exponentially the already heavy toll of sepsis globally. We call on national governments to urgently take on concrete actions such as setting up national action plans on sepsis. Best practices from around the world[5] teach us that national or regional guidelines, improved ICD coding, infection prevention and control measures and education programs, are some of the most effective measures to be put in place to fight sepsis and save lives.”, continues Kissoon.

As recently argued by GSA[6], a stronger attention should be allocated to sepsis in children. Beside a surge of cases of COVID-19 - the United States recorded an increase of 84% in one week and 45% of infected children had no underlying conditions[7] - mortality and morbidity for sepsis in children worldwide is increasing, which is further aggravated by the cessation of immunization programs and food insecurity in many parts of the world.

The burden of sepsis affects the society at large. A report published today by The George Institute for Global Health estimates that the total annual cost of sepsis in Australia is $4.8bn with direct hospital costs accounting for $700m a year, more than for breast and lung cancer combined.

Other available data reveal, for example, that the average treatment for a single patient in France costs about € 16,000[8] and in Germany sepsis treatment amounts to about 3% of the total healthcare budget (i.e., more than € 9 billion[9]).

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For media inquires, please contact Simone Mancini.

Simone.Mancini[at]global-sepsis-alliance.org

+49 30 450 55 14 17

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Sources

[1] Huang C, Huang L, Wang Y et al. (2021) 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study. Lancet 397:220-232

[2] Karakike E, Giamarellos-Bourboulis EJ, Kyprianou M, et al. (2021) Coronavirus Disease 2019 as Cause of Viral Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Crit Care Med, Jul 12. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000005195.

[3] Fleischmann-Struzek C, Rose N, Freytag A et al. (2021) Epidemiology and costs of post-sepsis morbidity, nursing care dependency, and mortality in Germany. medRxiv:2021.2002.2025.21252347

[4] Chopra V, Flanders SA, O'Malley M, et al. (2021) Sixty-Day Outcomes Among Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19. Ann Intern Med 174: 576-578

[5] https://www.europeansepsisalliance.org/news/2021/9/9/the-first-esa-european-sepsis-report

[6] https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/ajplung.00331.2021

[7] https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/

[8] Dupuis, C., Bouadma, L., Ruckly, S. et al. Sepsis and septic shock in France: incidences, outcomes and costs of care. Ann. Intensive Care 10, 145 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-020-00760-x

[9] Fleischmann, C., Hartmann, M., Hartog, C. et al. Epidemiology of Sepsis in Germany: Incidence, Mortality And Associated Costs of Care 2007-2013. ICMx 3, A50 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/2197-425X-3-S1-A50

Today, at its annual meeting, the European Sepsis Alliance is launching a report collecting best practices in the fight against sepsis across Europe.

Announcing the report, Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis, ESA Chair, said: “We hope that this report will demonstrate what practical and cost-effective measures can be undertaken by European countries, regions, and hospitals. We want to inspire other countries to take action and we call on the European institutions to allocate more resources to sepsis research, education, and awareness, and facilitate the exchange of best practices.”

As illustrated in the report, some European countries have put in place national action plans to improve awareness and management of sepsis, in line with the 70.7 WHA resolution from 2017 which asks UN member states to integrate sepsis in their national health systems. Others have started developing guidelines or processes to improve the quality of care for sepsis. In others, patient groups are taking the lead in engaging with policymakers and stakeholders to start a national dialogue and trigger action.

The report includes initiatives from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Consult it, and please share it within your network. We want as many people as possible to know about sepsis, its burden, prevention, and mitigation solutions. If your country or region’s initiatives are not displayed in this report, please contact us, we will be happy to include them and enhance the sharing of experiences.

World Sepsis Day on September 13 is less than two weeks away - with this post, we want to give you some ideas to show your support on social media, be it Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or something else entirely. Due to covid, your support on social media is more important than ever.

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Posts for Social Media

For social media, you can use the following posts, either with or without a WSD Infographic or a Sepsis Awareness Clip (most work better with). All posts are 280 characters or less, meaning they effortlessly work on Twitter (but also everywhere else, of course):

• 1 in 5 deaths globally is associated with #sepsis. Do you know the symptoms, sources, and risk groups of sepsis? This #WorldSepsisDay, share this video with a loved one - it could save their lives! https://youtu.be/NsPDjOX8QHA

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay! Sepsis is the final common pathway to death from most infectious diseases worldwide, including #COVID19. These are the most common #sources of #sepsis.

• Sepsis is not only a medical #emergency, but also a global health crisis, affecting between 47 and 50 million people a year - September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay. Join us in raising awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay - I am/We are participating to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis and #savelives

• September 13 is #WorldSepsisDay! While everybody can get sepsis, certain people are at an even higher risk. Join us in raising #awareness for #sepsis - awareness saves lives! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately - if you see 2 or more #symptoms, act immediately. #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis is the most preventable cause of death worldwide. It can be prevented by #vaccination, #sanitation, and #awareness. Everything depends on #you! Join us and #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! #Sepsis does not end at hospital discharge - many #sepsissurvivors face lifelong consequences. Join us to raise awareness! #stopsepsis #savelives

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay! Join our global movement now - it is as easy as downloading our free #infographics or #sepsis #awareness clips from worldsepsisday.org/toolkits and posting them from your account. Raising awareness starts with #you. #stopsepsis #savelives

• I am participating in the #WorldSepsisDay #Photochallenge to raise awareness for #sepsis, a disease affecting 47 to 50 million people annually, but often neglected by #policymakers, the general public, and even #healthcare #professionals - join the global movement now!

• September 13th is #WorldSepsisDay - I am participating in the #photochallenge to raise #awareness for #sepsis and #WorldSepsisDay - what are you doing? Start at worldsepsisday.org and help #stopsepsis #savelives

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Official hashtags

The official hashtags for World Sepsis Day are:

• #WorldSepsisDay

• #Sepsis

• #StopSepsis

• #SaveLives

We explicitly discourage using #WorldSepsisDay2021 or #WSD21 - if we want to “trend”, it is important we all use the same hashtags.

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Sepsis Awareness Clips / WSD Infographics

Our Sepsis Awareness Clips and our WSD Infographics are a great and easy way to spice up your posts - both are of course free downloads in our WSD Toolkit Section. Our infographics are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Arabic, Turkish, Finnish, and German.

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WSD Photo Challenge

The new WSD Photo Challenge is a fun new challenge to raise awareness for sepsis and World Sepsis Day - you can now dance, run, cycle, and more to show your support. Just download the material from our toolkit section and join the global movement.

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WSD Photo Boards

Our WSD Photo Boards are a simple and straightforward way to show your support on social media and beyond – just download the photo boards from our toolkit section, print the one you like the best (there are 7 options to choose from), write your name on it, take a picture, and upload it to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, using the hashtag #WorldSepsisDay or tag us in the post (@WorldSepsisDay).

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Our Social Media Channels

We are ‘World Sepsis Day’ on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook - make sure to follow us if you aren’t yet.

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Thanks for supporting World Sepsis Day - we couldn’t do it without you!

Our very own Abdulelah Alhawsawi, Vice President of International Affairs, and Konrad Reinhart, Founding President of the Global Sepsis Alliance, are speaking at the annual Health20 Summit on September 1 and 2, 2021, hosted by The G20 Health and Development Partnership.

The Health20 Summit will be held virtually this year and is inviting G20 policymakers, international organizations, the global health community, economists, civil society, and academia to join discussions and make concrete recommendations to G20 Health Ministers ahead of their summit about the future of global health crisis management and financing.

Among the keynote speakers are Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Mario Monti, President of Bocconi University, Member of the Italian Senate of the Republic of Italy, Hanan Balkhy, Assistant Director-General, Antimicrobial Resistance, WHO.

Over two days, more than 60 speakers will participate in 7 panels, and participation is free of charge.