The top 10 priorities for sepsis research according to patients, carers, and clinicians  

Why it matters

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection. It occurs when the immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage the body’s own tissues and organs. In severe cases, sepsis can lead to organ failure and death.   

Data from before the pandemic suggest that sepsis is responsible for more than 45,000 deaths per year in the UK and costs the NHS approximately £1.1 billion. In addition to the acute effects of sepsis there can also be serious long-term consequences.

Following discharge from hospital, sepsis survivors can experience long-term physical, emotional, social, and cognitive issues, commonly referred to as post-sepsis syndrome.  Consequently, it is common for sepsis survivors to be readmitted to hospital.

There are still many treatment uncertainties related to sepsis care that need to be clarified through high quality research. Priorities for sepsis research have never previously been set out, and researchers’ priorities often aren’t the same as those of patients, carers, and healthcare professionals.

We wanted to understand research priorities for sepsis, including its diagnosis, treatment and longer-term management.  Alongside survivors, clinicians, researchers and carers, we worked with the James Lind Alliance to conduct a priority setting partnership in sepsis research to help identify key research uncertainties for the sepsis community.

What we found

We worked with over survivors, clinicians, researchers and carers to identify research priorities for sepsis. The top 10 research priorities were:

1. We worked with over survivors, clinicians, researchers and carers to identify research priorities for sepsis. The top 10 research priorities were:
2. How can the diagnosis of sepsis become faster, more accurate and reliable?
3. What are the long-term effects on the body from sepsis (sometimes called post-sepsis syndrome)? How are these long-term effects best treated and managed?
4. What is the role of treatments other than antibiotics in the care and management of sepsis?
5. Can diagnostic tests be developed for sepsis for use wherever the person is receiving care (for example, in a GP surgery, hospital, ambulance or at home)?
6. Why and how do some people with sepsis become seriously ill very quickly?
7. Would specialist sepsis services improve outcomes for people with sepsis during hospital treatment and for follow-up care?
8. Are there ways to tailor treatment of sepsis to the individual (e.g. based on blood markers or other indicators)?
9. How does an infection lead to sepsis?
10. Would treatment before admission to hospital (e.g. provided by GPs or ambulance crews) improve outcomes for people with sepsis?
11. What are the safest and most effective ways to treat sepsis using antibiotics?

These top 10 priorities cover the full experience of sepsis from diagnosis and treatment to the long-term effects and recovery.

The top-ranked priority, ‘How can the diagnosis of sepsis become faster, more accurate, and reliable?’ featured highest across the respondent groups during the entire priority setting partnership process – both in the initial shortlisting survey, and as the top-ranked question throughout the workshop by all three discussion groups.  This clearly reflects the importance of prompt and accurate diagnosis of sepsis.

This list of priorities will provide scaffold to inform commissioned and researcher-led funding decisions across both government and charitable organisations.