Abstract
Sepsis is a secondary infection that causes a dysregulated physiological systemic response, which may lead to shock with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Approximately 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or after discharge. Most adult clients who develop septic shock have complex comorbidities that complicate the management of care which impairs quality of life after treatment; and increases mortality. The burden of care falls on the client as well as their family. Not only do nurse practitioners (NPs) serve a significant role in managing care for clients; they educate the community on sepsis awareness and primary prevention. During the acute phase of sepsis, NPs use diagnostic studies and screening tools to identify cause of sepsis. This may include reviewing inflammatory markers, culture data, imaging, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) Score, etc. Using evidence-based standards of care, NPs manage clients with septic shock in the emergency departments (ED) and intensive care units (ICUs). In these acute care settings, they participate in the decision making, assess static hemodynamics, perform point of care assessments using bedside ultrasounds, etc. Lastly, NPs manage clients post-sepsis once discharged from the ICU and/or hospital. Often this follow-up is not as robust as the care provided in the acute phase. NPs must collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to assist with discharge planning, transitional care, home health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medication reconciliation, psychosocial health, etc. Consultation from specialists (ex. cardiologist, nephrologist, pulmonologist, etc.) may be needed to assist with newly acquired organ dysfunction secondary to septic shock. Mortality remains high during the recovery phase and up to two years post-septic shock. NPs assist with decreasing mortality and improving client outcomes by participating in post-ICU follow-up care. Some NPs lead post-sepsis clinics to assess and evaluate the clients and family individualized needs. In summary NPs contribute to the care of clients with septic shock during each phase of treatment and recovery. Their contributions are vital and help to improve the overall health of clients with septic shock.
Notes
References:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, March 8). About sepsis. https://www.cdc.gov/sepsis/about/index.html
Evans, L. Rhodes, A., Alhazzani, W., Antonelli, W., Coopersmith, C. M., French, C., Machado, F. R., McIntrye, L., Ostermann, M., Prescott, H. C., Schorr, C. Simpson, S. Wiersinga, W. J., Alshamsi, F., Angus, D. C., Arabi, Y., Azevedo, L., Beale, R., Beilman, G… & Levy, M. (2021). Surviving sepsis campaign: International guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Intensive Care Medicine 47(1181-1247). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-021-06506-y
Graham, J. (2022). Shock, sepsis, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. In L. S. Urden & M. Lough (Eds.), Critical care nursing: Diagnosis and management, (9th ed) (pp. 831-864). Mosby.
Inoue, S., Nakanishi, N., Sugiyama, J., Moriyama, N., Miyazaki, Y., Sugimoto, T., Fujinami, Y., Ono, Y., & Kotani, J. (2022). Prevalence and long-term prognosis of post-intensive care syndrome after sepsis: A single-center prospective observational study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11, 5257. http://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11185257
Li, D., Zhang, X., Jing, L., Hu, H., Song, Y., Wu, S., & Zhu, W. (2024). Post-sepsis psychiatric disorder: Pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment. Neurological Science, 45, 3093-3105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1007-024-07409-8
Rababa, M., Hamad, D. B., & Hayajneh, A. A. (2002). Sepsis assessment and management in critically ill adults: A systematic review. PLOS ONE, 17 (7). http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270711
Taylor, S. P., Murphy, S., Rios, A., McWilliams, A., McCurdy, L., Chou, S., Hetherington, T., Rossman, W., Russo, M. Gibbs, M., & Kowalkowski, M. A. (2022). Effect of a multicomponent sepsis transition and recovery after sepsis: The improving morbidity during post-acute care transitions for sepsis randomized clinical trial. Critical Care Medicine, 50(3), 469-479.
Vanderslikke, E.C., Beumeler, L. F. E., Holmqvist, M., Linder, A., Mankowski, R. T., & Bouma, H. R. (2023). Understanding post-sepsis syndrome: How can clinicians help?. Infection and Drug Resistance, 16 (6493-6511). https://www.dovepress.com/
Sigma Membership
Beta Theta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Acute Care, Clinical Practice, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Sepsis, Septic Shock, Nurse Practitioners
Recommended Citation
Shepherd, Nakiesha L., "The Nurse Practitioner’s Role in Managing Care of Clients with Sepsis/Septic Shock" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 67.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/67
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-08
The Nurse Practitioner’s Role in Managing Care of Clients with Sepsis/Septic Shock
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Sepsis is a secondary infection that causes a dysregulated physiological systemic response, which may lead to shock with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Approximately 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or after discharge. Most adult clients who develop septic shock have complex comorbidities that complicate the management of care which impairs quality of life after treatment; and increases mortality. The burden of care falls on the client as well as their family. Not only do nurse practitioners (NPs) serve a significant role in managing care for clients; they educate the community on sepsis awareness and primary prevention. During the acute phase of sepsis, NPs use diagnostic studies and screening tools to identify cause of sepsis. This may include reviewing inflammatory markers, culture data, imaging, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) Score, etc. Using evidence-based standards of care, NPs manage clients with septic shock in the emergency departments (ED) and intensive care units (ICUs). In these acute care settings, they participate in the decision making, assess static hemodynamics, perform point of care assessments using bedside ultrasounds, etc. Lastly, NPs manage clients post-sepsis once discharged from the ICU and/or hospital. Often this follow-up is not as robust as the care provided in the acute phase. NPs must collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to assist with discharge planning, transitional care, home health, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medication reconciliation, psychosocial health, etc. Consultation from specialists (ex. cardiologist, nephrologist, pulmonologist, etc.) may be needed to assist with newly acquired organ dysfunction secondary to septic shock. Mortality remains high during the recovery phase and up to two years post-septic shock. NPs assist with decreasing mortality and improving client outcomes by participating in post-ICU follow-up care. Some NPs lead post-sepsis clinics to assess and evaluate the clients and family individualized needs. In summary NPs contribute to the care of clients with septic shock during each phase of treatment and recovery. Their contributions are vital and help to improve the overall health of clients with septic shock.
Description
Sepsis is a secondary infection that causes a dysregulated physiological systemic response, which may lead to shock with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Approximately 350,000 adults who develop sepsis die during their hospitalization or after discharge. Nurse practitioner’s contributions are vital; and they help to improve the overall health of clients with sepsis/septic shock from the acute phase through the recovery period.