"It is research, but it is a very small study," Dr. Jim O'Brien, chairman of the board of directors for the Sepsis Alliance said in an interview with Health News Review. "It's an observational study, not a blinded and randomized clinical trial. So we need more rigorous, larger and well-designed studies to see if the results hold up." The Sepsis Alliance is a charitable organization set up to educate people about the illness and find a cure.