A systematic methodological evaluation of sepsis guidelines: Protocol for quality assessment and consistency of recommendations.

Journal: Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
Published Date: Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, characterized by a dysregulated host response to infection. Despite the development of multiple clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to standardize sepsis management, substantial variability exists in methodological quality and key clinical recommendations. This inconsistency complicates guideline implementation and potentially affects patient outcomes. The proposed systematic methodological review aims to evaluate the quality and consistency of sepsis guidelines to identify areas for improvement and provide actionable insights for guideline developers.

Authors

  • Marwa Amer
    Medical/Critical Pharmacy Division, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Morten Hylander Møller
    Department of Intensive Care, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Anders Granholm
    Department of Intensive Care, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Haifa F Alotaibi
    Health Research Center, Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Shadan AlMuhaidib
    Independent Researcher, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Zainab Al Duhailib
    College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Amr Arafat
    Health Research Center, Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Michelle S Chew
    Division of Drug Research, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, 581 83, Sweden.
  • Marius Rehn
    Division of Prehospital Services, Air Ambulance Department, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
  • Martin Ingi Sigurðsson
    Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Iceland.
  • Maija-Liisa Kalliomäki
    Department of Anaesthesia, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
  • Klaus T Olkkola
    Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University of Helsinki and HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
  • Ville Jalkanen
    Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Tampere University Hospital Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland.
  • Wojciech Szczeklik
    Centre for Intensive Care and Perioperative Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
  • Hassan M Alshaqaq
    Emergency Medicine Department, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Kimberley Lewis
    Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
  • Kallirroi Laiya Carayannopoulos
    Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
  • Kimia Honarmand
    Department of Health Research, Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
  • Dipayan Chaudhuri
    Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
  • Mustafa Alquraini
    Emergency Medicine/Critical Care/NeuroCritical Care Department, Almana Hospitals, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
  • Yasser S Amer
    Pediatrics Department, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • Fayez Alshamsi
    Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Alain, United Arab Emirates.
  • Waleed Alhazzani
    Health Research Center, Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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