Sepsis protocols for general acute hospitals -- Presenting protocols upon inspection

(1) As used in this section, "sepsis" means a life-threatening complication of an infection. (2) A general acute hospital may develop protocols for the treatment of sepsis and septic shock that are consistent with current evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock. (3) When developing the protocols described in Subsection (2), a general acute hospital shall consider: (a) a process for screening and recognizing patients with sepsis; (b) a process to screen out individuals for whom the protocols would not be appropriate for treating sepsis; (c) timeline goals for treating sepsis; (d) different possible methods for treating sepsis and reasons to use each method; (e) specific protocols to treat children who present with symptoms of sepsis or septic shock; and (f) training requirements for staff. (4) A general acute hospital may update the general acute hospital's sepsis protocols as new data on the treatment of sepsis and septic shock becomes available. (5) The department, or an entity assigned by the department to inspect a general acute hospital, may request a copy of the sepsis protocols described in this section when inspecting a general acute hospital.