Electronic alerts for sepsis detection improve survival rates and hospital care.

Hospitals have implemented sepsis screening programs for early detection in patients (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Electronic Sepsis Screening Among Patients Admitted to Hospital Wards

Go to source

).
Early detection and treatment of sepsis can significantly improve a patient’s chances of survival. Sepsis is a severe response to infection that can lead to organ failure or death if left untreated.
A recent large-scale study titled “The Stepped-wedge Cluster Randomized Trial of Electronic Early Notification of Sepsis in Hospitalized Ward Patients (SCREEN)” has provided evidence that electronic screening tools can reduce death rates in hospitalized patients.

Electronic Alerts Reduce Sepsis Deaths in Hospitals

The SCREEN study compared the effects of using electronic early alerts (based on a quick scoring system called qSOFA) to identify patients at risk of sepsis and without the screening alerts.

The trial was conducted in 5 hospitals across 43 wards, involving thousands of hospitalized patients. If the system identified a patient at risk of developing sepsis early, medical teams could respond quickly with treatment like antibiotics or fluids.

The study was carried out using a stepped-wedge design. Some hospital wards started the screening earlier while others did not, allowing researchers to compare groups over time.

The results showed that electronic sepsis alerts using qSOFA reduced 90-day in-hospital mortality rates in the screening group compared to those not being screened. This means that patients identified early by electronic alerts were more likely to survive within 90 days after being admitted to the hospital.

Low-Cost Alerts Transform Sepsis Care

The use of electronic alerts is low-cost, sustainable, and easy to implement. They require less manpower but can save lives by allowing doctors and nurses to act quickly when a patient shows early signs of sepsis.

This system could change how hospitals manage at-risk patients by improving communication, early detection, and treatment strategies. It could also lead to more efficient hospital workflows and better outcomes.

1. Electronic Sepsis Screening Among Patients Admitted to Hospital Wards – (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2828069?)

Source-Eurekalert