Sepsis information and resources

The NT Health sepsis pathways are for use in all settings. They incorporate evidence-based risk criteria to help clinicians recognise sepsis early and support early escalation of care and management.​

NT Health sepsis pathways can be ordered via Darwin (HR number) or Alice Springs (HPS code) Stores. Follow local processes for ordering for your specific work area.

HPS code HR numberSample Pack quantity
  HR543-02/23 Acute care adult sepsis pathway - Top End, East Arnhem and Big Rivers regions PDF (376.2 KB) 
  HR543a-02/23 Acute care paediatric sepsis pathway - Top End, East Arnhem and Big Rivers regions PDF (300.4 KB) 
174905 HR543b-02/23 Primary health care adult sepsis pathway PDF (180.6 KB) Pack = 50 forms
(replenishment and purchase unit)
174906 HR543c-02/23 Primary health care paediatric sepsis pathway PDF (178.4 KB) Pack = 50 forms
(replenishment and purchase unit)
174907 HR543d-02/23 Acute care adult sepsis pathway - Central Australia and Barkly regions PDF (372.4 KB) Pack = 50 forms
(replenishment and purchase unit)
174908 HR543e-02/23 Acute care paediatric sepsis pathway - Central Australia and Barkly regions PDF (299.4 KB) Pack = 50 forms
(replenishment and purchase unit)

Guidelines

The NT Health sepsis guidelines are intended to support the sepsis pathways and provide further guidance in:

  • Best practice and a consistent approach across all NT health services for early sepsis recognition and management.
  • Where sepsis is suspected, empower staff to escalate care to clinicians experienced in recognising and managing sepsis.
  • Engaging senior medical staff in sepsis recognition and management of patients.
  • Supporting the provision of education and information for patient and carers.

For acute care:

For primary health care:

The Remote Health Atlas or Primary Health Network sites have updated their sepsis guidelines to align with NT Health to ensure consistency of practice across the NT.

Sepsis clinical care standard

The goal of the sepsis clinical care standard is to ensure that a patient presenting with signs and symptoms of sepsis receives optimal care, from symptom onset through to discharge from hospital and survivorship care.

This includes timely recognition of sepsis, early and appropriate antimicrobial therapy and continuity of care from the acute setting through to discharge and survivorship (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC), 2022).

The sepsis clinical care standard is linked to the antimicrobial stewardship clinical care standard, for more information go to the ACQHC website.

Online learning modules

A sepsis e-learning module, Sepsis Introduction, is available to all health professionals via MyLearning. This module helps clinicians to understand what sepsis is, its impact in the NT, how to identify and manage sepsis, and with the use of case studies, assists in applying the sepsis pathways into practice.

A sepsis e-learning module is available from the Remote Area Health Corps (RAHC) e-learning site. This is for all health professionals who want to learn more about sepsis. The e-module uses case studies to familiarise you with the NT Health sepsis pathways and tests your knowledge about sepsis recognition and management processes.

To complete the learning module, go to the RAHC website.

National sepsis resources

Help to spread awareness about sepsis and World Sepsis Day in your workplace with free access to resources and fun activities.

Read more about World Sepsis Day Toolkit

A comprehensive digital library of evidence-based lectures presented by renowned international experts, brought to you by Sepsis Australia, and Continulus, a socially responsible healthcare learning platform. The ultimate goal is to make expert knowledge easily accessible to healthcare professionals worldwide, including those practicing in resource-limited settings.

Read more about The Pocketbook of Sepsis.

Find a suite of free sepsis resources, including free CPD/CME-accredited lectures from some of the leading sepsis experts in the world.​

Read more about ​Continulus Library.

On April 25 and 26, 2023, the 4th World Sepsis Congress took place. Over the course of two days and 16 highly relevant and diverse sessions, more than 85 speakers from more than 35 countries presented on all aspects of sepsis, including the link to pandemics and AMR, the role of AI, ML, big data, patient safety, the impact of policy, novel trial design, the latest research, and much more.​

Resources for the clinical nurse educator​​

Watch the sepsis pathophysiology video.

World Sepsis​ Day quiz cards - host your own game show

Download the ​​World Sepsis Day quiz cards PUB (186.0 KB).

Resources for the medical officers​

Septris 2.0 is a mobile-accessible, case-based, online game launched worldwide and developed for hospital-based medical and surgical, intensive care and emergency department physicians and nurses for treating Sepsis.

Read more about Septris 2.0

Septris2.0

Information for health professionals

TypeResourceWebsite
Document Epidemiology of Sepsis in Australian Public Hospitals ACSQHC
Journal The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) JAMA Network
Journal Sepsis in the tropical Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory: disease burden and impact on Indigenous Australians Medical Journal of Australia
Website Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines 2021 Society of Critical Care Medicine
Document Review of trigger tools to support the early identification of sepsis in healthcare settings ACSQHC
Journal Sepsis - Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Concepts Frontiers
Document Stopping Sepsis: A National Action Plan George Institute
Document Diagnosis and management of sepsis in the older adult BMJ Publishing Group Ltd

Rosie’s Story (3:16)

Surgical site infection leads to sepsis.

Ann’s Story (3:57)

Cancer survivor – post port-a-cath insertion infection that leads to death.

Geoff’s Story (8:13)

Splinter leads to septic shock.

Fiona’s Story (1:47)

Bump on elbow leads to sepsis.

TypeResourceWebsite
Document Surviving sepsis campaign international guidelines for the management of septic shock and sepsis-associated organ dysfunction in children Australian Sepsis Network
Website Sepsis in children BMJ Best Practice
Website Children - Sepsis Alliance Sepsis Alliance
Website The current and future state of pediatric sepsis definitions: An international survey American Academy of Pediatrics
Website Sepsis prediction in hospitalized children: Model development and validation American Academy of Pediatrics
Website Sepsis prediction in hospitalized children: Clinical decision support design and deployment American Academy of Pediatrics
Document International Consensus Criteria for Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock PDF (793.6 KB) American Medical Association
Website Australia's Silent Killer 7 News Facebook

Mia’s Story (3:18)

Pre-hospital symptoms, if you are worried get help/go to ED.

Beauden’s Story (13:11)

From scrape to knee to septic shock, includes survivorship care/follow up.

Sepsis and Children (13:28)

From infected cut to quadruple amputation – includes globally recognised leading expert on sepsis in children.

Australian Story – Mia’s Story (8:06)

Sunrise article – family shares Mia’s story of surviving sepsis.

TypeResourceAuthor
Journal Diagnosis of neonatal sepsis: The past, present and future International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc
Journal Diagnosis of neonatal sepsis: The role of inflammatory markers Medical University of Graz
Journal Neonatal sepsis definitions from randomised clinical trials European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR)
Website Sepsis Australia Australian Sepsis Network
Website The George Institute for Global Health The George Institute for Global Health
Website Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Global Health – Newborn Care Series (5:51)

Shows baby with sepsis, how to evaluate and treat.

Neonatal Sepsis: Newborn Blood Infection (4:37)

Causes, symptoms and treatment by Dr Nanditha, Neonatologist at Kangaroo Care.

Isla’s Story (3:42)

Baby wakes up lethargic, emergency transfer to Perth Children’s Hospital, signs and symptoms.

TypeResourceWebsite
Website Pregnancy and childbirth Sepsis Alliance
Journal Azithromycin to prevent sepsis or death in women planning a vaginal birth A-PLUS Trial Group

Maile’s Story – Maternal Sepsis (7:32)

Mother develops sepsis after returning home post birth.

Kayleigh’s Story (6:39)

Mother develops sepsis at 7 months gestation leading to quadruple amputation.

Amanda’s Story (6:04)

Mother develops sepsis 6 weeks post a traumatic birth.

TypeResourceWebsite
Website Sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
Document Diagnosis, investigation and management of sepsis ACSQHC
Document Sepsis survivorship report ACSQHC
Website National sepsis program ACSQHC
Journal Hospital-related costs of sepsis around the world: A systematic review exploring the economic burden of sepsis University Medical Center Groningen
Journal Immunopathophysiology of human sepsis eBioMedicine
Journal Sepsis-induced immunosuppression: Mechanisms, diagnosis and current treatment options Military Medical Research
Journal Nurses' knowledge and confidence in recognizing and managing patients with sepsis: A multi-site cross-sectional study National University of Singapore
Journal How to use biomarkers of infection or sepsis at the bedside: Guide to clinicians Springer Nature
Journal Embracing complexity in sepsis Springer Nature
Journal Deployment of machine learning algorithms to predict sepsis: Systematic review and application of the SALIENT clinical AI implementation framework Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Journal Early restrictive or liberal fluid management for sepsis-induced hypotension The New England Journal of Medicine
Journal Recent advances in monoclonal antibody-based approaches in the management of bacterial sepsis MDPI
Sepsis survivors band together to help reduce deaths

Sepsis survivors band together to help reduce deaths (1:47)

It’s one of the most prevalent – but misdiagnosed – deadly diseases, killing more than 3000 Australians each year.

Public awareness information

TypeResourceAuthor
Poster NT Health developed in partnership with ACSQHC
Brochure NT Health developed in partnership with ACSQHC

Spotlight on sepsis (1:55)

NT Health developed in partnership with ACSQHC.

Signs and Symptoms (0:52)

NT Health developed in partnership with ACSQHC.

TypeResourceWebsite
WebsiteWhat is sepsis? Global Sepsis Alliance
WebsiteLife after sepsis: A guide for survivors, carers and bereaved familiesAustralian Sepsis Network
WebsiteNational Sepsis ProgramAustralian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

TypeResourceAuthor
WebsiteAustralia and NZ Sepsis Support Group Facebook pageAustralia and NZ Sepsis Support Group
WebsitePatients and familySepsis Alliance
WebsiteIs it sepsis?T for Thomas

Contacts

For more information and assistance, contact Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety by emailing SafetyandQuality.DoH@nt.gov.au.


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