People who are seriously ill and suspected of having sepsis should be given immediate life-saving access to antibiotics to prevent unnecessary deaths, according to updated guidance from a health watchdog.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said the national early warning score should be used to assess people aged 16 years and over with suspected sepsis, who are not or have recently been pregnant and are in an acute hospital setting. or ambulance.
The National Early Warning Score is a tool endorsed by NHS England to standardize the assessment of serious illness in adults.
Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a potentially fatal condition that occurs when the body begins to attack its own tissues and organs in response to an infection. It leads to an estimated 200,000 hospital admissions and 48,000 deaths each year in Britain.
The updated guidelines also recommend that doctors take greater consideration of who is receiving antibiotics, to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance in people prescribed these antibiotics for less severe cases of sepsis.
With the update, Nice says more people will be categorized at a lower risk level, with a sepsis diagnosis required to be confirmed before receiving antibiotics.
Professor Jonathan Benger, Nice’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “These useful and actionable guidelines will ensure antibiotics are targeted to those most at risk of severe sepsis, so they receive rapid and effective treatment. It also supports doctors in making informed, balanced decisions when prescribing antibiotics.
“We know sepsis can be difficult to diagnose, so it is crucial that there is clear guidance on the updated (national early warning score) so it can be used to identify disease, ensure people get the right treatment in the right clinical setting and save lives. .
“This update is the latest part of the process to ensure that the Nice guidelines are as up to date as possible. We recognize this is an essential and rapidly evolving area, so this is the latest in a series of planned updates to our guidance.”
Dr. Ron Daniels, the founder and co-director of the UK Sepsis Trust, said: “We are pleased that Nice has provided this important update to their national guidance. In particular, we support that the update continues to recommend the identification of risk factors while emphasizing the importance of clinical judgment to prevent inappropriate use of antibiotics.
“The recommendation for GPs and ambulance services to consider the way they provide antibiotics to people at high risk of sepsis is becoming increasingly relevant as transit times increase, and could potentially be transformative in terms of patient outcomes. These revisions help end a period of instability, which has previously seen healthcare professionals face varying guidelines from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. We now have the opportunity to provide a coordinated and coherent approach to the recognition and treatment of sepsis within the NHS. We are pleased to be able to support the updated Nice Directive with a range of clinical tools, which we hope will be used by healthcare providers to save lives.”