Salem County Public Health Profile Report
Deaths due to Septicemia: Deaths per 100,000 Standardized Population, 2018-2020
Salem 22.095% Confidence Interval (15.3 - 28.7)Description of the Confidence IntervalThe confidence interval indicates the range of probable true values for the level of risk in the community.
A value of "NA" (Not Available) will appear if the confidence interval was not published with the NJSHAD indicator data for this measure.State 17.3U.S. 9.8Salem Compared to State
Description of GaugeDescription of the Gauge
This graphic is based on the county data to the left. It compares the county value of this indicator to the state overall value.- Excellent = The county's value on this indicator is BETTER than the state value, and the difference IS statistically significant.
- Watch = The county's value is BETTER than state value, but the difference IS NOT statistically significant.
- Improvement Needed = The county's value on this indicator is WORSE than the state value, but the difference IS NOT statistically significant.
- Reason for Concern = The county's value on this indicator is WORSE than the state value, and the difference IS statistically significant.
The county value is considered statistically significantly different from the state value if the state value is outside the range of the county's 95% confidence interval. If the county's data or 95% confidence interval information is not available, a blank gauge image will be displayed with the message, "missing information."NOTE: The labels used on the gauge graphic are meant to describe the county's status in plain language. The placement of the gauge needle is based solely on the statistical difference between the county and state values. When selecting priority health issues to work on, a county should take into account additional factors such as how much improvement could be made, the U.S. value, the statistical stability of the county number, the severity of the health condition, and whether the difference is clinically significant.
Why Is This Important?
Septicemia is an infection that happens when bacteria or other germs enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. That can trigger sepsis, which is the body's reaction to the infection. Septicemia was the ninth leading cause of death among New Jersey residents and fifteenth in the U.S. in 2020.How Are We Doing?
In New Jersey, about 2,000 deaths each year are due to septicemia. In the total population and among each racial/ethnic group, males have higher death rates than females. The age-adjusted death rate due to septicemia is significantly higher among Blacks in New Jersey than among other racial/ethnic groups. County rates per 100,000 population (age-adjusted) range from a low of 9 in Hunterdon to a high of 23 in Essex.What Is Being Done?
In 2017, New Jersey became the third state to mandate sepsis protocols in its hospitals. [https://nj.gov/health/legal/documents/adoption/8_43G-14.9%20Sepsis%20Protocols.pdf ^2^] Under state law, New Jersey hospitals are required to submit uniform data to the New Jersey Department of Health on health care facility-associated infections. The Department reviews and analyzes these data and reports the results in New Jersey's annual [http://www.nj.gov/health/healthcarequality/health-care-professionals/submit-reporting/hais/index.shtml hospital performance report]. (Note that not all cases of septicemia are acquired in a healthcare setting.)Note
Septicemia refers to the presence of a pathogen in the blood, whereas sepsis is the condition that is caused by the pathogen. In the context of mortality, if the cause of death is septicemia, sepsis is implied.Data Sources
Death Certificate Database, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, New Jersey Department of Health Population Estimates, [https://www.nj.gov/labor/lpa/dmograph/est/est_index.html State Data Center], New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce DevelopmentMeasure Description for Deaths due to Septicemia
Definition: Deaths with septicemia as the underlying cause of death.
ICD-10 codes: A40-A41
Numerator: Number of deaths due to septicemia
Denominator: Total number of persons in the population