Early Recognition of Neonatal Sepsis by Nurses

Abstract

To understanding what behavioral and physiologic cues in neonates with evolving sepsis are salient to nurses and will allow for the development of a neonatal early warning system. Descriptive correlational. Tertiary academic medical center. Neonatal nurses (N = 181). Online survey to assess nurse’s knowledge of behavioral cues and physiological signs of sepsis. This study indicates that nurses can recognize the physiological and behavioral cues of sepsis in normal and at risk neonates. Although there were some similarities in characteristics, there were limited differences between nurses with ADN and BSN degrees. Nurses with more than 11 years of experience who practiced in the NICU were able to identify more frequently behavioral cues associated with newborn sepsis than those who practiced in the mother baby unit (t = 2.6, df = 1, p = .011). Neonatal sepsis is the leading cause of pediatric mortality worldwide, and 20% of related deaths are associated with late and improper treatment. Nurses have the ability recognize sepsis early using a combination of behavioral and physiologic cues observed in the neonate. Closing the knowledge gap related to years of experience and practice setting is crucial to early recognition of sepsis. Future researchers should examine whether these cues were present before sepsis diagnosis. This will allow for the implementation of a neonatal early warning system for sepsis. The use of a systematic surveillance tool will help to close the experience gap identified in this study.