Recognise Sepsis and Save a Life

Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency, affecting 55,000 Australians each year and causing over 8,700 deaths—more than breast and prostate cancers combined.

Join a panel of experts and consumers with lived experience. Presented by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in partnership with The George Institute for Global Health, Sepsis Australia and Medcast.

Early recognition and timely treatment of sepsis in primary care are critical, yet recognising and diagnosing sepsis in primary care can be challenging due to its non-specific early symptoms. For every hour of delay in antibiotic administration, mortality risk increases by 7.6%, highlighting the urgent need for improved clinical awareness and response.

This webinar, part of the National Sepsis Program, is designed to equip general practitioners (GPs), practice nurses, and primary healthcare providers with the knowledge and tools needed to identify, escalate, and manage sepsis effectively in all primary care settings. Attendees will gain practical insights and evidence-based strategies to improve sepsis detection, treatment, and follow-up care.

Who Should Attend?

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners,
• Aboriginal Health Workers,
• Medical Practitioners,
• Nurses,
• Nurse Practitioners,
• Paramedics

What you will learn:

• Early warning signs of sepsis, including subtle and atypical presentations in children and postpartum women.

• Sepsis escalation protocols and when to refer patients for urgent hospital care.

• Post-Sepsis Syndrome (PSS) and survivor care, ensuring long-term recovery and reducing readmissions.

Presenters

• Dr Phoebe Holdenson Kimura, General Practitioner.
  • Phoebe is a GP working in Sydney who is passionate about promoting mental wellbeing and supporting GPs who have a special interest in Mental Health. With recent experience working in rural Far North Queensland and Cambodia, she is interested in rural and global perspectives on mental health.
• Susan Helmrich,  RN, DipAppScNsg, BN, CritCareCert, CoronaryCareCert, TraumaNsgCareCert, CertIV(TAE), MN(Ed), GradCert(Ldrshp & Mgt)
  • Susan has extensive experience as Critical Care Nurse Educator, and Education Manager. Susan is a world class resuscitation educator, having published Adult and Paediatric Advanced Life Support Manuals as well as Resuscitation Instructors Manuals.
• Dr Catherine Eltringham, General Practitioner
  • Catherine is a GP in Geelong, Victoria. She has been involved in a wide variety of Medical Education opportunities, these include GP training, lecturing in Medicine at Deakin University, and providing clinical consultancy for the Deakin Indigenous Health team. Over recent years Catherine has moved into planning and facilitating the professional development of Medical Educators and GP Supervisors as well as learning (like everyone else) to do all of this online. Catherine strives to ensure her education events are engaging and innovative, with a dose of appropriate fun.
• Grace Larson, RN, BN, CertIV(TAE), GradDipClinNurs(PaedCritCare), MAdNursPrac(PaedCritCare)
  • Grace has extensive experience in paediatric nursing, with 13 years in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU). She’s published journal articles in the specialty area of pain and sedation in PICU, and has presented at national and international conferences on the area of pain and sedation in paediatrics.

CPD