Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40165176›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

"Sepsis brought him to his knees": exploring the lived experiences and perspectives of sepsis survivors and family members to inform a sepsis public education campaign in Canada.

Jeanna Parsons Leigh, Rebecca Brundin-Mather, Deirdre Walsh, Sara J Mizen, Cynthia Sriskandarajah, Marie-Maxime Bergeron, Denise E Werner, Kirsten M Fiest

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Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jeanna Parsons LeighFaculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building 5850 College Street, Second Floor, 2A01, Office 2A08, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada. J.ParsonsLeigh@dal.ca.
Rebecca Brundin-MatherDepartment of Critical Care, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Deirdre WalshDepartment of Critical Care, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Sara J MizenFaculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building 5850 College Street, Second Floor, 2A01, Office 2A08, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Cynthia SriskandarajahFaculty of Health, School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building 5850 College Street, Second Floor, 2A01, Office 2A08, PO Box 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
Marie-Maxime BergeronDepartment of Critical Care, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Denise E WernerDepartment of Critical Care, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Kirsten M FiestDepartment of Critical Care, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.

Funding

CIHR 430986
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSepsis is a life-threatening complication of the body's response to fighting an infection. The global burden of sepsis is incredibly high, accounting for an estimated 20% percent of all global deaths as well as high hospitalization costs and long-term multifaceted sequelae. As most sepsis starts in the community, public knowledge of sepsis is essential to rapid identification and medical intervention. The current study is part of multi-study collaborative research program. Following a scoping review and national survey to assess public knowledge of sepsis, we conducted focus groups to explore the lived experiences and perspectives of sepsis survivors and family members with the goal to inform development of a sepsis public education campaign.

methodsWe co-designed a focus group guide covering three broad discussion topics: circumstances leading to sepsis, impacts of sepsis, and interactions with healthcare providers. Participants were purposively recruited through the previous national survey and through Sepsis Canada communications. We used a hybrid deductive-inductive approach to code transcripts and generate themes related to developing a sepsis public education campaign.

resultsWe conducted 11 focus groups with 32 participants. Participants' median age was 53 years (Interquartile Range = 48, 64). Three-quarters (n = 23/32; 72%) self-identified as women, and all participants reported having some post-secondary education. All but one sepsis survivor were adults at the time of their diagnosis. We synthesized three overarching campaign messages from participant's accounts of profound physical and mental impacts of sepsis and perceptions of health system failures: (1) sepsis is serious and common, (2) know the signs of sepsis, and (3) be health attentive and advocate health needs. Potential barriers to message uptake were: (1) sepsis is not well-known or easily understood, (2) perceptions that sepsis is not personally relevant, and (3) health messaging fatigue. Suggestions to effectively hook and draw public attention to sepsis centered on using personal stories and partnering with other health campaigns.

conclusionsOur analysis of participant's lived experiences with sepsis suggest that public communications should aim to (1) improve sepsis symptom recognition, (2) foster perceptions that sepsis is personally relevant, and (3) cultivate and support health advocacy.

Indexed as

FamilyHealth EducationHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeSepsisSurvivorsAdultAgedCanadaFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchHealth campaignsHealth communicationHealth educationPatient participationsepsis

Identifiers

PMID40165176
PMCPMC11956199

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.