Sepsis Guidelines and Protocols: Providing Care to Patients

Page reviewed and updated: August 2022

The diagnosis of sepsis is one of the most challenging. Sepsis affects millions of people worldwide and one in four of the people affected will die. The way we recognize and treat sepsis has changed over the years; the most recent update being the Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2021. The guidelines emphasize that patients with sepsis should be viewed as having a medical emergency, necessitating urgent assessment and treatment. The resources in this collection focus on sepsis identification and goal-directed treatment according to current guidelines and definitions. Use these resources to improve the way you provide care to patients with sepsis.

Guideline Summaries

 

Nursing Pocket Card

Free Recognizing and Managing Sepsis
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, February 2022

Videos, Podcasts, & Infographics

Free Physiology Fundamentals: Sepsis [PODCAST]
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, September 2019

Free Preventing Sepsis [VIDEO]
From the Desk of the Chief Nurse, September 2017

Free Recognize Early, Act Fast! [VIDEO]
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, September 2017

Free Laboratory signs of sepsis [Infographic]
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, March 2017

Journal Articles & NCPD

REadmission PREvention in SepSis: Development and Validation of a Prediction Model
Journal for Healthcare Quality, May/June 2022

Development of a Novel Assessment Tool and Code Sepsis Checklist for Neonatal Late-Onset Sepsis
Advances in Neonatal Care, February 2022

Emergency Department Initiative to Improve Sepsis Core Measure Compliance: A Hospital Network Approach
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, January/March 2022

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Evaluate the Effectiveness of the ABCDEF Bundle on Sepsis Outcomes
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, January/March 2022

Greater Compliance With Early Sepsis Management is Associated With Safer Care and Shorter Hospital Stay
Journal for Healthcare Quality, November/December 2021

Improving Antibiotic Administration Rate for Patients With Sepsis in the Emergency Department
Journal of Nursing Care Quality, October/December 2021

Nurses' Knowledge on Sepsis Related to Mechanical Ventilation: An Intervention Study
The Journal of Nursing Research, August 2021

NCPD Maternal Sepsis: Presentation, Course, Treatment, and Outcomes
MCN, The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, May/June 2021

Post–Sepsis Syndrome
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, April/June 2021

Early Recognition and Management of Sepsis in the Elderly: A Case Study
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, April/June 2021

Implementation of an Automated Sepsis Screening Tool in a Community Hospital Setting
Journal of Nursing Care Quality, April/June 2021

Can You Escape Sepsis? Using a Healthcare Escape Room as an Innovative Approach to Nursing Education
Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, March/April 2021

NCPD Neonatal Sepsis: A Review of Pathophysiology and Current Management Strategies
Advances in Neonatal Care, February 2021

Long-term Renal Outcomes in Adults with Sepsis-Induced Acute Kidney Injury: A Systematic Review
Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, September/October 2020

NCPD Sepsis: A Review for Homehealth Clinicians
Home Healthcare Now, July/August 2020

A Cross-sectional Study of Group B Streptococcus-Associated Sepsis, Coinfections, and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile in Neonates in Pakistan
Advances in Neonatal Care, August 2020

Mitochondrial Dysregulation in Sepsis: A Literature Review
Clinical Nurse Specialist: The Journal for Advanced Nursing Practice, July/August, 2020

Nifty Nursing Mnemonic for Early Sepsis Recognition
Nurse Educator, May/June 2020

NCPD Accelerated Biologic Aging, Chronic Stress, and Risk for Sepsis and Organ Failure Following Trauma
Journal of Trauma Nursing, May/June 2020

Utilization of a Visit-Based Sepsis Assessment to Prevent Hospital Readmissions
Home Healthcare Now, May/June 2020

Implementation of the Neonatal Sepsis Calculator in Early-Onset Sepsis and Maternal Chorioamnionitis
Advances in Neonatal Care, February 2020
 

Blog Posts

FreeThe 4 Components of Source Control in Sepsis
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, February 2022

Free Surviving Sepsis 2021: How does it differ from 2016?
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, October 2021

Free Managing Sepsis in COVID-19 Patients: What’s Different? 
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, September 2020

Free Surviving Sepsis Campaign Releases COVID-19 Guidelines
Lippincott® NursingCenter®, March 2020