SHAPING SEPSIS CARE: SURVEY 1

JUST ASK, COULD IT BE SEPSIS?

Sepsis is a life-threatening response to any infection that progresses quickly and requires immediate attention. Know the signs and symptoms (one or all of the following may be present).

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SEPSIS

Rapid breathing

Rapid heart rate

Confusion, slurred speech or disorientation

Fever or shivering

Muscle pain

Not passing urine

Discoloured skin

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO!

Early-stage sepsis:

Sufferers are generally unwell, may display one or all of the signs and symptoms, feel worse than when previously sick and there is concern
Contact healthdirect at https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/ OR Call 1800 022 222 (24 hours) and ask…could it be sepsis?

Later stage sepsis:

Sufferers are seriously unwell, likely to display significant changes in multiple signs and symptoms, feel like they might die and there is serious concern
CALL 000 Ambulance or if quicker go immediately to the closest Emergency Department and ask….could it be sepsis?

Key considerations:

If concerned get advice immediately
If seriously concerned get treatment immediately
Inflammation due to infection is normal but in sepsis the inflammation response is uncontrolled, it may start mildly but rapidly escalate to critical illness
Sepsis is difficult to recognise as it may not have an obvious cause, it can look like viral or bacterial illnesses such as flu, gastro or urinary tract infection
Trust your intuition…if it doesn’t feel right TAKE ACTION and always ask…could it be sepsis?

symptom checker Call 000

Shaping Sepsis Care is a new Australian study that brings together patients, carers, and healthcare professionals to identify and rank the most important unanswered research questions about sepsis.

Led by the National Critical Care Research (NCCR) Collaboration, it is part of a new Priority Setting Partnership in conjunction with the UK’s James Lind Alliance (JLA).

The aim of Shaping Sepsis Care is to highlight research that could significantly improve sepsis treatment and patient outcomes.

The study will use surveys to determine a Top 10 list of key research priorities in sepsis care and inform the development of the Australian Sepsis Research Roadmap – a guide for researchers and funders to focus on the most impactful studies.

Survey 1 has now launched with the help of sepsis survivor AFL star Sam Taylor from the GWS Giants. Sam has told of his life-threatening experience with sepsis and has urged other survivors to help set the research agenda for sepsis in Australia.

The survey will be open until 30 August, 2025.