Episode 5: Why Do Clinicians Miss Sepsis?
Description:
Episode 5 of The Sepsis Spectrum: Microbial Mysteries Podcast.
What if the way we’re trained to recognize sepsis is part of the problem? Nicole sits down with Kathleen Vollman to unpack how clinician education, documentation habits, and broken workflows contribute to missed or delayed sepsis care. They explore why early signs like low temperature and increased respiratory rate are often ignored, how task-based thinking limits critical assessment, and what it takes to teach sepsis recognition that actually works. A must-listen for anyone leading bedside care, clinical education, or system improvement.
Learning Objective:
At the end of the session, the learner should be able to:
- Explain the clinical significance of early recognition of infection and sepsis;
- Discuss appropriate initial assessment steps and escalation protocols for suspected sepsis cases.
- Interpret common laboratory and diagnostic results to help determine the likely causative pathogen.
- Explain the importance of multi-disciplinary collaboration among infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and sepsis teams in enhancing early detection, appropriate treatment, and improved outcomes in infectious disease management.
- Describe how early recognition of infection and sepsis facilitates timely involvement of the antimicrobial stewardship team, leading to more appropriate antimicrobial selection and duration, thereby reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Guests:
Kathleen Vollman, MSN, RN, CCNS, FCCM, FAAN
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Consultant, Educator, & Entrepreneur President
ADVANCING NURSING, LLC
Kathleen Vollman, MSN, RN, CCNS, FCCM, FAAN is a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist and Consultant. She has published & lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of pulmonary, critical care, prevention of health care acquired injuries including pressure injury and CAUTI/CLABSI’s and other HAI’s, work culture and sepsis recognition & management She serves as a subject matter expert on these topics for the American Hospital Association and Michigan Hospital Association. From 1989 to 2003 she functioned in the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Medical ICU’s at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan. Currently her company, ADVANCING NURSING LLC, is focused on creating empowered work environments for healthcare practitioners through the acquisition of better skills, attainment of greater knowledge, and implementation of process improvement.
CE Information:
Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17068 for 0.6 contact hours.
Other healthcare professionals will receive 0.5 participation contact hours for this episode.
Medical Disclaimer:
The information on or available through this site is intended for educational purposes only. Sepsis Alliance does not represent or guarantee that information on or available through this site is applicable to any specific patient’s care or treatment. The educational content on or available through this site does not constitute medical advice from a physician and is not to be used as a substitute for treatment or advice from a practicing physician or other healthcare professional. Sepsis Alliance recommends users consult their physician or healthcare professional regarding any questions about whether the information on or available through this site might apply to their individual treatment or care.