Abstract
Background. Sepsis is a serious and common condition with high mortality and morbidity. The public awareness, knowledge, and perception of sepsis in Sweden are unknown.Methods. A survey was performed using an online interview distributed to adults, aged 18–74, between March 6 and 9, 2015.Results. A total of 1001 people responded to the survey. Twenty-one percent of participants had heard of sepsis, whereas more than 86% had heard of each of the other conditions listed; for example, stroke (95%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (95%), and leukemia (92%). Of those who had heard of sepsis, 93% responded that it is an infection or blood poisoning in an open question. The respondents who had heard of each disease estimated its mortality. For sepsis, the mortality was estimated at an average of 30%, which was at the same level as estimated mortalities for prostate and breast cancer but lower than for stroke, COPD, and leukemia.Conclusions. The awareness and knowledge of sepsis is low. The mortality for sepsis is not as overestimated as for many other diseases. The lack of awareness of sepsis might be a target to improve the outcome for sepsis patients by reducing the prehospital delay and hence enable early interventions. An increased general awareness might also raise interest for funding for research in this area and for its priority in healthcare support.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.