SSC guidelines: What has changed in practice?

Simon Oczkowski, MD, MHSc, MSc, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University and coauthor of Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines.

You are one of the authors of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. Has your own practice changed as a result of your work on these guidelines?

As one of the authors of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines, I’ve been privy to watching some of the greatest experts in sepsis care, speaking to families and sepsis survivors about their experiences, and watching these guidelines take shape.

And I think one thing that has really changed for me viewing all of this is I’ve seen the diversity of perspectives that people from around the world bring to sepsis treatment and it’s left me much more open-minded in terms of thinking about my own daily practice: what new practices should I incorporate into clinical care and which practices should I abandon?

Being an author and seeing how differently people treat things, it’s really made me reflect on what are the commonalities and what are the things I should be doing and should not be doing.