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