The Future of Sepsis Care: Building Systems That Support Clinicians and Save Lives

Author: Ambient Clinical | Featuring insights from Mary Grace Cox, Senior Director of Clinical Programs at UAB Medicine
Source: Becker’s Hospital Review Podcast

Key Takeaways

• The science of sepsis is well established, but system design is the new frontier.
• Sepsis DART™ gives teams early detection of potential sepsis.
• Sepsis DART™ gives teams real-time awareness that drives appropriate care.
• Culture and workflow must align with clinician behavior to sustain change.
• No single tool fixes sepsis. The process, culture, and data must work together.

Why Is System Design More Critical Than New Sepsis Treatments?

Sepsis remains one of medicine’s most complex challenges. While the core clinical interventions like timely antibiotics, fluid resuscitation, and early recognition, are well known, many hospitals still struggle to deliver them consistently.

In a recent Becker’s Healthcare podcast, Mary Grace Cox explained why system design, not new science, will drive the next wave of improvement.

“Clinicians already know how to treat sepsis. The challenge is doing it reliably, every time, in different situations.”

What Is Sepsis DART™ and How Does It Improve Sepsis Detection?

Within the podcast, Mary Grace introduced Sepsis DART™ (Detection and Response Tool), a real-time monitoring system that gives clinicians visibility into trends and deviations as they happen.

Unlike traditional retrospective audits, Sepsis DART™ surfaces risks earlier, in real-time, which enables faster course correction and reduces dependence on periodic “campaigning.”

“DART lets us see variation as it happens, not just after the fact. That’s a game changer.”

By shifting from being reactive to concurrent detection, Sepsis DART™ helps embed continuous readiness into daily workflows.

How Can Culture and Workflow Design Support Clinicians?

Technology only works when culture and workflows align. Mary Grace emphasized several strategies to make the right actions the easiest actions:

• Reduce Friction: Streamline notifications, interfaces, and care pathways.
• Support, Don’t Police: Build trust with feedback loops instead of punitive oversight.
• Leadership Alignment: Elevate sepsis quality to a systemwide priority.
• Sustain Momentum: Integrate improvements into standard operations to avoid initiative fatigue.

What Are the Persistent Challenges in Sepsis System Improvement?

Mary Grace is clear that there’s no magic bullet. She says “it’s a long game. The wins come from relentless consistency, not one shiny new tool.” Health systems must plan for:

• Behavioral inertia among clinicians
• Leadership turnover and shifting priorities
• Heterogeneity of sepsis itself

Why This Matters Now

Mortality improvements in sepsis depend less on new discoveries and more on execution at scale. Systems that can detect early, deliver consistently, and adapt in real time will define the future of sepsis care.

Practical Steps for Health Systems:

1. Start with proven interventions. Optimize timely antibiotics and source control.
2. Invest in real-time visibility. Tools like Sepsis DART™ expose hidden variation in care delivery sooner.
3. Design for clinicians. Build workflows that reduce cognitive load.
4. Make it part of daily operations. Don’t treat sepsis as a side project.
5. Align leadership. Set shared goals and accountability at every level.

Final Thoughts

Mary Grace Cox’s perspective highlights a shift underway in healthcare, from episodic improvement projects to continuous, systems-driven excellence. For health systems aiming to reduce sepsis mortality, the path forward is clear. Over the past few decades, educating and campaigning has proven to be a short term fix that does not sustain excellence. You must not just educate and campaign your doctors and nurses, instead invest in systems like Sepsis DART™ that consistently and permanently supports clinicians in delivering the highest quality of care.