A study that implemented and examined a program for the early recognition and treatment of sepsis in all NSW public hospitals in collaboration with the Clinical Excellence Commission and UNSW’s Professor Mary-Louise McLaws has been judged the best research article published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 2016.
The winning article, “SEPSIS KILLS: early intervention saves lives” was the journal’s most highly cited paper in 2016 and followed the 2011 program that transformed the way emergency departments respond to the condition (link is external).
It was authored by Professor McLaws (School of Community Medicine and Public Health) with Dr Anthony Burrell, Mary Fullick, Rosemary Sullivan and Dr Doungkamol Sindhusake, all from the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission.
Sepsis is an inflammatory response to infection that can lead to organ failure and death, and is one of the most common reasons for a patient's health to deteriorate in hospital.
