On 10 September, Prof. Marcio Borges, Head of the Multidisciplinary Sepsis Unit at Son Llatzer University Hospital in Palma de Mallorca and President of the Código Sepsis Foundation, and Marianne Haverkamp, Chair of the ESA Patient and Family Support WG and of the GSA Global Sepsis Survivor and Families Committee, met with Mónica García, Minister of Health of Spain, to discuss the set-up and development of a National Plan for Sepsis. Also present from the Ministry were María Rosario Fernández, Deputy Director General for Healthcare Quality, and José Manuel López Rodrigo, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Health.
The aim of the meeting was to strengthen the collaboration with the Ministry on educational and healthcare initiatives while raising awareness about sepsis, a severe clinical syndrome that, despite its impact, remains largely unknown to the public.
Sepsis in Spain
Sepsis affects between 75,000 and 138,000 people in Spain annually and causes around 17,000 deaths —more than breast, colon, and prostate cancer combined. However, awareness of sepsis in Spain remains low.
A recent survey by Sepsisinfo.es and the Código Sepsis Foundation revealed that 52% of Spaniards do not know what sepsis is, 65% underestimate the number of deaths it causes annually, and one in four respondents do not recognize its symptoms, such as fever, confusion, or rapid breathing.
Strategic Proposal for a National Plan
During the meeting, the Código Sepsis Foundation and SepsisInfo.es proposed the creation of a National Plan for Sepsis to the Ministry of Health. The Foundation already has a strategy drafted and approved in 2016, which covers diagnosis, monitoring, and treatments, and will serve as the foundation for the new national plan. This initiative seeks to address the problem in a multidisciplinary and comprehensive way.
The proposal, structured into six strategic areas, includes prevention and awareness, healthcare provision, educational measures, as well as rehabilitation and follow-up for survivors. Marianne Haverkamp emphasized the need of the active participation of patients and families in such plan.
Since 2012, several scientific societies and experts have developed different actions and documents for comprehensive and multidisciplinary sepsis care, making Spain one of the first countries in the world to do so. Since 2015, Sepsis Code Programs have been implemented in over 65% of Spanish hospitals across all regions, some with their own specific strategic approaches.
These programs rely on multidisciplinary teams, including more complex multidisciplinary sepsis units—currently more than 25 nationwide. Evidence from literature and practice shows that these programs reduce sepsis-related mortality, shorten hospital stays, and lower associated costs, estimated at €17,000–€25,000 per episode.
Post-sepsis syndrome (PSS), affecting 40% of survivors with long-term consequences, was a key element of the proposal, as most patients currently receive no structured follow-up or support. The proposal also highlighted the high economic burden of sepsis for the healthcare system, estimated at €10,000–€18,000 per hospital episode.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The Minister and her senior team welcomed the proposal very positively, stressing its importance and the need for a national plan to address sepsis. They agreed on further follow-up meetings to continue working on the implementation of the proposed measures and to better understand the current situation, including actions already underway and the activity of sepsis groups and units.
Collaboration between the Ministry, regional governments, scientific societies, patient associations, and civil society will be essential to strengthen and generate new actions to improve sepsis care, thereby continuing to reduce mortality and healthcare resource use in tackling this complex clinical syndrome.
About the Código Sepsis Foundation
The Código Sepsis Foundation promotes a collaborative framework for healthcare professionals engaged in social and healthcare interventions for sepsis. Its objectives include creating a continuous educational system to enhance knowledge among professionals, raising social and economic awareness of the problem, and facilitating a shared multidisciplinary analysis of the significance and impact of sepsis. The Sepsis Code, which covers everything from diagnosis to supportive treatment, is based on a healthcare, educational, and research approach.
About SepsisInfo.es
SepsisInfo.es is an outreach platform offering accurate and accessible information on sepsis, its symptoms, prevention, treatment, and recovery, aimed at the general public, patients and families, as well as healthcare professionals.
