Table 1:

Criteria included in screening strategies for identification of sepsis by paramedics

Strategy*Presence/absence in strategy
TemperatureHeart rateSystolic blood pressureRespiratory rateOxygen saturationGlasgow Coma ScaleOther criteria
BAS 90–30–9053†XXX
Borrelli et al.29†XXXXXX
CIP40,43†XXXXXAge
HEWS47†XXXXXX
MBIS55XXXX
MEWS37,42†XXXXX
NEWS45†XXXXXX
PHANTASi24XXX
PITSTOP56XX
PreSAT52†XXXX
PRESEP28†XXXXX
PRESS41†XXXAge, dispatch card‡
PSP26†XXXX
qSOFA27,30,33,36,38–40,44,46,51†XXX
qSOFA + end-tidal carbon dioxide35XXXEnd-tidal carbon dioxide
Robson score37,53†XXXXBlood glucose level
SEPSIS48†XXXXXXAge, appearance of skin§
Sepsis Alert32XXXXMean arterial pressure
SIRS23,25,27,33,39,42,50,54†XXX
SIRS + end-tidal carbon dioxide34XXXEnd-tidal carbon dioxide
Suffoletto et al.49XX

  • Note: BAS = Blood Pressure Andningsfrekvens (meaning “respiratory rate” in Swedish) Saturation, CIP = Critical Illness Prediction score, HEWS = Hamilton Early Warning Score, MBIS = Mecklenburg Bacterial Infection Scale, MEWS = Modified Early Warning Score, NEWS = National Early Warning Score, PHANTASi = Prehospital Antibiotics Against Sepsis, PITSTOP = Paramedic Initiated Treatment of Sepsis Targeting Out-of-Hospital Patients clinical trial, PreSAT = Prehospital Sepsis Assessment Tool, PRESEP = Prehospital Early Sepsis Detection, PRESS = Prehospital Severe Sepsis, PSP = Prehospital Sepsis Project, qSOFA = Quick Sepsis-Related Organ Failure Assessment, SEPSIS = Screening to Enhance Prehospital Identification of Sepsis, SIRS = Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.

  • ↵* For more detailed information about the components of each strategy, see Appendix 1, Table A1-1 (available at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1503/cmaj.190966/-/DC1).

  • ↵† Strategies that produce a numeric score.

  • ↵‡ Dispatch category specified as “sick person.”

  • ↵§ Mottled or ashen appearance or cyanosis of the skin, lips or tongue; nonblanching rash of the skin.