Nurse’s Role in Early Identification of Sepsis

Abstract

Sepsis is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Sepsis is a life-threatening illness which develops when the body’s immune system has an extreme reaction to an infection, leading to organ dysfunction. The body’s reaction to an infection causes damage to tissues and organs and can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and sometimes death, especially if not diagnosed early and treated promptly. Early diagnosis is essential and the most efficient way to treat patients with sepsis. As nurse’s spend the most times caring for patients, their position in the early identification of sepsis was of interest. The study aimed to identify the roles of nurses in the early identification of sepsis. The research was conducted as a literature review. Data search was conducted from Cinahl (EBSCO) and Pubmed databases. Finally, 8 articled were chosen for the final review of literature. Inductive data analysis was used, and 3 main themes found: clinical nursing skills, sepsis screening and multiprofessional collaboration. The results identified that sepsis training have significant results improving both nurses’ knowledge and clinical skills. Nurses’ sepsis knowledge is overall sufficient, but the study identified knowledge gaps in the early identification of sepsis and septic shock. Sepsis screening tools, triage tools and vital sign monitoring assist in the sepsis identification process. Multiprofessional communication is vital in diagnosing sepsis early. Communicating with objective data saves time and makes it easier to make decisions about the care of patients.