Using modified sepsis criteria to improve specificity of standardized triage screening for pediatric severe sepsis and septic shock

Abstract

Background: Effective triage for patients with severe sepsis is critical first step for timely recognition and management. We implemented a standardized pediatric sepsis screening tool based on Goldstein SIRS criteria to streamline our ED triage process in 2013. Although the baseline cohort (N=259) had no patients missed, specificity of our screening tool was only 0.270 for severe sepsis. Implementation of this tool raised concerns for over triage, misappropriation of resources and alert fatigue. We set a goal to …