European Sepsis Report – France
Background
It is estimated that sepsis is responsible for nearly 57,000 deaths in France each year. The average cost is around € 16,000 per hospitalization. France launched its sepsis plan in October 2019. It develops around three domains: increasing knowledge, providing better care, and increasing surveillance coverage of sepsis.
What is happening
In increasing knowledge, the targets are the general public and health professionals. For the general public, France is implementing education programs for students on the prevention of infections and sepsis as the main cause of death from infections. Sepsis courses are now mandatory in the curricula of nurses and medical students.
On better care, France is trying to enforce its vaccination program, having increased the number of mandatory vaccinations to 11 as a main tool to prevent infections and sepsis broadly speaking. In September 2023 the national health authority will release clinical practice guidelines for sepsis including pre-hospital care (i.e., management by the general practitioners) and post-acute care until the patients resume a normal life.
To foster research, France will include sepsis as a priority in the fourth “Programme d‘Investissement d‘Avenir”, with subsequent substantial funding through research calls. A national committee has been launched to advise the government on funding sepsis research in France.
Results, next steps, and challenges
To increase surveillance coverage of sepsis, France has revised the national rules for coding hospitalization based on the new Sepsis 3 definition. Thereby, France will publicly release yearly national epidemiological data on sepsis as done, for example, for stroke or acute myocardial infarction.
The plan includes in total ten areas of interventions ranging from treatment to awareness raising, education, research, and follow-up.
Patient-led initiatives: France Sepsis Association
Jamila Hedjal launched the France Sepsis Association in 2020, following the death in November 2018 of her son Farès, who died after a septic shock caused by appendicitis. The France Sepsis Association is for patients and relatives affected by sepsis. It has the objective to support them in the after-care follow-up, and it carries their voices in different instances to improve their comfort and the quality and safety of care. Many people are becoming involved, mostly relatives of sepsis patients, as well as resuscitation and healthcare professionals.
Jamila has established fruitful contacts with French authorities, scientific societies, and media, contributing to raising awareness about sepsis amongst policymakers and the general public in France.