Early detection of sepsis by hospital ward nurses can help reduce the disease's progression and improve survival for patients, according to a study in Critical Care.
The study examined an intervention's efficacy at a community hospital in Norway. The intervention was a bundle that included a flow chart for sepsis identification, treatment and physician response time, a systemic inflammatory response syndrome and organ failure triage that was used to re-evaluate for sepsis if clinically indicated.
Researchers examined 472 patients with confirmed bloodstream infection before the intervention was put into place — the pre-intervention group. They examined 409 patients with confirmed bloodstream infection after the intervention was implemented — the post-intervention group.
The study found that the post-intervention group were observed more closely by nurses and had higher odds of surviving 30 days. The post-intervention group also had lower probability of developing severe organ failure and a shorter length-of-stay — shorter by 3.7 days on average.