Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health launched a new role in August that is focused on the coordination of care for the patient with sepsis. The new Sepsis Coordinator role is the first position at Penn Medicine to focus on leveraging technology and educating providers about evidence-based practices that eliminate variation in the care of sepsis across the continuum.
Teresa Cranston, sepsis coordinator, and Joseph Kontra, MD, division chief, Infectious Diseases, and medical director, Infection Prevention.
“This new position will ensure that patients with a diagnosis of sepsis will receive consistent care and necessary education to improve patient outcomes across the continuum, which includes inpatient, ambulatory and community care programs,” shared Mary Papadoplos, director Medicine Service Line.
Teresa Cranston began in this new role, but is not new to LG Health.
“I have served in many positions throughout the health system over the last 18 years. These experiences have provided great insight needed for this position, and I look forward to impacting the quality of patient care and interacting with colleagues throughout the system,” Cranston said.
Educating staff, patients and their caregivers is key to preventing diseases like sepsis. Cranston explained the importance of educating the community to assist in early recognition of sepsis.
The Sepsis Alliance uses the acronym TIME: Temperature – higher or lower than normal; Infection – may have signs or symptoms of infection; Mental decline – confusion; sleepy, difficult to rouse; Extremely ill – severe pain or discomfort. Anyone with these signs should seek medical attention.
“We are committed to continuous quality improvement as seen in programs like Lean management and the Sepsis Alliance. Implementing the sepsis coordinator position is the next step to ensure that we are not only providing excellent patient care, but also work with our community partners to combat sepsis before it arises,” said Papadoplos.