Sepsis Mortality Due to Lack of Critical Care Training Programs

The relationship between death from sepsis by geographic region and the location of critical care fellowship training programs was studied. The results give a visual illustration of the need for increased critical care training programs in underserved areas where sepsis mortality rates are high.

Using mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistic' Compressed Mortality File, researchers were able to determine causes of all deaths in the U.S. as well as demographic data on each patient and looked specifically at those deaths caused by sepsis. They then determined the locations of critical care fellowships through the National Residency Matching Program public data.

By mapping these variables with Google fusion tables, the authors illustrate that areas of the U.S. with relatively high sepsis mortality rates had lower density of training programs. The gap was most pronounced in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S.

The authors suggest outcomes from sepsis may be improved by increasing critical care training programs in regions with relatively few trained intensives.

"Mapping allowed us to assess the need for increased critical care medicine provider presence in specific geographic areas," says Dr. Aditya Shah, lead researcher. "Assuming that well-trained providers are instrumental in treating patients with sepsis, these data suggest that we may be able to improve outcomes by promoting critical care training programs in specific regions of the U.S. and enhancing incentives to practice there."

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Source-Eurekalert