Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40724010›Full record

ArticleAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Performance of Early Sepsis Screening Tools for Timely Diagnosis and Antibiotic Stewardship in a Resource-Limited Thai Community Hospital.

Wisanu Wanlumkhao, Duangduan Rattanamongkolgul, Chatchai Ekpanyaskul

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
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

3 authors.

Wisanu WanlumkhaoDepartment of Adult and Gerontological Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Srinakharinwirot University, Ongkharak, Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand.
Duangduan RattanamongkolgulDepartment of Adult and Gerontological Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Srinakharinwirot University, Ongkharak, Nakhon Nayok 26120, Thailand.
Chatchai EkpanyaskulDepartment of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok 10110, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0002-2906-9832

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEarly identification of sepsis is critical for improving outcomes, particularly in low-resource emergency settings. In Thai community hospitals, where physicians may not always be available, triage is often nurse-led. Selecting accurate and practical sepsis screening tools is essential not only for timely clinical decision-making but also for timely diagnosis and promoting appropriate antibiotic use.

methodsThis cross-sectional study analyzed 475 adult patients with suspected sepsis who presented to the emergency department of a Thai community hospital, using retrospective data from January 2021 to December 2022. Six screening tools were evaluated: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), National Early Warning Score version 2 (NEWS2), and Search Out Severity (SOS). Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes as the reference standard. Performance metrics included sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, all reported with 95% confidence intervals.

resultsSIRS had the highest sensitivity (84%), while qSOFA demonstrated the highest specificity (91%). NEWS2, NEWS, and MEWS showed moderate and balanced diagnostic accuracy. SOS also demonstrated moderate accuracy.

conclusionsA two-step screening approach-using SIRS for initial triage followed by NEWS2 for confirmation-is recommended. This strategy enhances nurse-led screening and optimizes limited resources in emergency care. Early sepsis detection through accurate screening tools constitutes a feasible public health intervention to support appropriate antibiotic use and mitigate antimicrobial resistance, especially in resource-limited community hospital settings.

Indexed as

antimicrobial resistancecommunity hospitalearly warning scoreshealthcare qualityinfectious disease detectionlow-resource settingssepsis screening

Identifiers

PMID40724010
PMCPMC12291722

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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.