Deeply Troubled by Dangers Posed by Sepsis and Hospital-Acquired-Infections; Improvements to Patient Care Seen as Next Step in Health Reform Effort

WASHINGTON, DC-- This week, the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) - a national coalition of health care providers and health care workers dedicated to quality health care for all Americans - released the results of a new national public opinion survey that shows deep concern about the risks to patients receiving medical care at U.S. hospitals, as well as strong support for low-cost, high-impact changes to the delivery of health care.

The poll, conducted by Benenson Strategy Group, interviewed 1,000 adults from across the country from January 8-11, 2011, and has a 3.1% margin of error.

The survey tested a number of areas for potential improvements to the way hospitals deliver health care. The areas striking the greatest chord among respondents were hospital-acquired-infections (HAIs) and sepsis, a severe potentially fatal medical condition where the bloodstream becomes infected by bacteria.

The poll found that 74% of respondents were "very concerned" to learn that sepsis was the number one cause of death in American hospitals. More poll results:

• 71% were very concerned to learn that nearly 2 million Americans acquire an infection in hospitals each year, with a high percentage considered preventable.
• 78% of those surveyed were very concerned when told that many hospitals have no standard protocol for identifying or treating sepsis, and
• 81% were very concerned when informed that many caregivers treat patients without washing their hands, a simple step that has been shown to cut the rate of infection in half.

Health care experts from PQC held a news conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday to report on the survey findings, outline the opportunities for mobilizing public opinion in favor of reforming the delivery of health care, and answer questions about "best practices" currently being undertaken to address the crisis of HAIs and sepsis in our hospitals. Speakers included: George Halvorson, CEO of Kaiser Permanente and Chair of PQC; Dennis Rivera of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Secretary-Treasurer of PQC; Mary Kay Henry, President of SEIU; Jed Weissberg, MD, senior vice president of Quality and Care Delivery Excellence at Kaiser Permanente; and Justine Carr, MD, chief medical officer of the Steward Health Care System, headquartered in Boston, Mass.

"Since its inception in 2007, the Partnership for Quality Care has been fighting to improve health care on several different fronts," said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry. "Stage One was helping to marshal public support for health reform that expands coverage."Now, we're committed to building the same sort of labor-management partnership to advance Stage Two - improving the well-being of millions of people who are in the health care system. To that end, we will mobilize health care workers, and Americans from all walks of life, to push providers into taking simple, low-cost steps to strengthen patient safety. The research shows that the American people not only share our concern with dangerous, preventable infections, but that they are ready and willing to do something about it."

"We know that if we identify and address sepsis early, we can save thousands of lives each year," said Dr. Weissberg. "This isn't theoretical. By taking simple steps, Kaiser Permanente has cut the death rate from sepsis by 40%. If we can raise awareness of this issue, we can replicate the success that we've seen among providers who take quick action and get meaningful results."

"Our six hospital sytem has already reduced HAIs by 50 percent in three years," said Dr. Carr. "That's an astonishing figure, but one that is easily replicated. Reducing the rate of HAIs is the new frontier in the effort to improve American health care. By sharing best practices, establishing simple yet important protocols, and empowering patients to ask questions of their doctors, we will take the delivery of medical care to new heights and improve the lives of countless people each year."

An executive summary of the poll can be found here, and the full topline results can be found here.

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