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qSOFA score (quick SOFA)

Three bedside criteria from Sepsis-3, counted from 0 to 3, for an adult with suspected infection.

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A prognostic score, not a sepsis screen

qSOFA was built to flag adults with suspected infection who are at greater risk of a poor outcome. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign’s 2021 guideline recommends against using qSOFA, compared with SIRS, NEWS or MEWS, as a single screening tool for sepsis or septic shock. A score below 2 does not rule sepsis out.
Respiratory rate
Mentation
Systolic blood pressure

Result

Answer all three to see a score.

Source

Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):801-810. Derivation: Seymour CW, Liu VX, Iwashyna TJ, et al. Assessment of clinical criteria for sepsis. JAMA. 2016;315(8):762-774. The recommendation against qSOFA, compared with SIRS, NEWS or MEWS, as a single screening tool for sepsis or septic shock is from Evans L, Rhodes A, Alhazzani W, et al. Surviving Sepsis Campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Crit Care Med. 2021;49(11):e1063-e1143; also Intensive Care Med. 2021;47:1181-1247.

qSOFA was derived in adults with suspected infection to identify those at greater risk of a poor outcome. It is not a diagnosis of sepsis and it is not validated in children. A score below 2 does not rule sepsis out. Your protocol's sepsis criteria, which may use different signs, are the ones your service screens with.

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