Overview of the incidence, early identification and management of sepsis
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Overview of the incidence, early identification and management of sepsis

Cathy Ward Nurse, Accident and Emergency Department, Daisy Hill Hospital, Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Newry, Northern Ireland
Nicola Morrell-Scott @nicky_nurse_lec Senior lecturer, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, England

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that is triggered by an infection. Sepsis is an urgent public health issue globally, and is one of the leading causes of death in emergency departments and hospitals. However, consensus definitions of sepsis are imprecise and the incidence and costs of the condition are thought to be underestimated. This article discusses the incidence of sepsis globally and nationally, and the effects of the condition. It emphasises the early identification and effective management of sepsis, which remain crucial to improving patient outcomes such as morbidity and mortality. It also outlines the nurse’s role in providing sepsis care.

Nursing Standard. 32, 25, 41-46. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e10602

Correspondence

n.e.morrell@ljmu.ac.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 05 July 2016

Accepted: 01 December 2017

Published online: 13 February 2018

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