The El Camino Health Emergency Department Mountain View significantly improved sepsis care through a nurse-driven quality improvement initiative. Front-line sepsis champions

El Camino Health Emergency Department Mountain View

collaborated with clinical nurse specialists and information technology team members to implement an electronic sepsis screening tool and a real-time bundle checklist that tracks completion of time-sensitive interventions.

Education, ongoing coaching and continuous performance monitoring supported sustained improvement. One-hour sepsis bundle compliance increased from an average of 54-66 percent before implementation to sustained performance between 80-100 percent, with multiple months achieving 100 percent compliance. This initiative demonstrates how technology, nursing leadership and evidence-based practice can improve clinical outcomes for patients with sepsis.

The 40-bed ED also redesigned front-end operations to improve patient flow and reduce patients leaving before treatment completion. The initiative introduced a dedicated nurse screener, nurse-initiated care orders, tele-triage, waiting room technicians and real-time patient text messaging to begin care earlier and keep patients informed. Nurses continuously monitored department flow and initiated interventions before delays occurred. These nurse-driven improvements enhanced patient engagement, accelerated diagnostic testing and improved communication. They also led to a sustained left-without-being-seen rate below 1 percent while reducing elopements and patients leaving prior to treatment completion.