• To enhance your knowledge of how to assess, recognise and escalate care for children and young people with suspected sepsis
• To be aware of the various services and resources that can aid rapid diagnosis and treatment of children and young people with suspected sepsis
• To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)
• To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)
Sepsis in children has been defined as a clinical syndrome resulting from a dysregulated immune response to infection. Several publications have highlighted the need for education for healthcare professionals on the recognition and management of sepsis to improve patient care and reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. This article offers information, tools and resources for children’s nurses to promote a multidisciplinary team approach to assessing children and young people with suspected sepsis and escalating care where appropriate. It uses a case study to illustrate the challenges that may be encountered in diagnosing sepsis and providing effective care.
Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2025.e1523
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Williams G, Beavan O (2025) Suspected sepsis in children and young people: assessment, recognition and when to escalate. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2025.e1523
AcknowledgementsLiterature searches and duplicate citation screening on the effectiveness of saturation probes on different skin colours was performed by Derick Yates, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Trust Library and Knowledge Service
Published online: 03 February 2025
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