Lay people don’t know Jack about sepsis

---according to this study:

In Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and the United States, a mean of 88% of interviewees had never heard of the term sepsis. In Germany 53% of people knew the word sepsis. In Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, France, and United States, of people who recognized the term sepsis, 58% did not recognize that sepsis is a leading cause of death.

Why is this important? Because the two most important dimensions of sepsis are time dependent: early goal directed therapy (you’ve got 6 hours or it doesn’t work) and antibiotics (mortality rises by the hour of delay).

With things like point of care lactate levels and ER protocols we’re doing better. Public awareness is another link in the chain of survival.