Can Multidisciplinary Sepsis Teams Help Solve a Global Concern? A Review of the Literature

Abstract

The aims of this reviews are to provide a background on sepsis and to discuss the role of multidisciplinary sepsis teams for those who may not provide direct patient care but play an important role in supporting those that manage patients with sepsis. Sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection, is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Considered a medical emergency, prompt laboratory results and administration of appropriate antibiotics are critical. Numerous sepsis guidelines have been published, including the use of standardized bundles that can result in reduced mortality and better patient outcomes. Key to successful outcomes are early recognition and appropriate therapy, which is guided by multidisciplinary sepsis intervention teams; rapid laboratory testing, including Gram stains; molecular mass spectrometry; and clinical and electronic early warning surveillance systems that offer a systematic machine learning application to analyze patients’ medical data and send an alert to providers in real time to allow earlier intervention.