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qSOFA
Bedside screen for patients at risk of poor outcomes from sepsis
Indication
- Bedside screen for patients at risk of poor outcomes from sepsis
Criteria
- id: ams; label: Altered mental status (GCS <15); type: yesno; points: 1
- id: rr; label: Respiratory rate ≥ 22; type: yesno; points: 1
- id: sbp; label: Systolic BP ≤ 100; type: yesno; points: 1
Interpretation
- function(score) { if (score <= 1) return { risk: score + '/3', tier: 'Low Risk', action: 'qSOFA <2. Low risk for poor outcome. Continue clinical assessment.', color: 'green' }; return { risk: score + '/3', tier: 'High Risk', action: 'qSOFA ≥2. Associated with ≥10% in-hospital mortality. Evaluate for organ dysfunction.', color: 'red' }; }
Clinical pearls
- qSOFA ≥2 associated with ≥10% in-hospital mortality
- NOT a diagnostic criterion for sepsis — it is a screening tool
- In ED: SIRS criteria may still be more sensitive for early detection
- Full SOFA score (6 components) is used for ICU prognostication
Source and review
- Singer et al., JAMA 2016 (Sepsis-3); Seymour et al., JAMA 2016. Last reviewed: 2024-10-15