The Effect of an Interdisciplinary Nursing-Pharmacy-Laboratory "Sepsis Huddle" on Time-to-Antibiotic Administration: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Background: Sepsis and septic shock are high-priority global international health problems, and early recognition of both is crucial to survival. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign highly recommends antibiotics within one hour of recognition, but there are still considerable delays in emergency and inpatient settings due to systemic and communication failures.
Aim: This systematic review evaluates the evidence for a multidisciplinary "sepsis huddle" and its implementation as a means to improve antibiotic timeliness and one-hour goal achievement.
Methods: A Literature synthesis between 2015 and 2025 was conducted to examine the impact of sepsis huddles, typically nurse-initiated, with involvement of laboratory and pharmacy personnel for early diagnosis and preparation of antibiotics.
Results: Sepsis huddle implementation routinely demonstrated significant improvement in the percentage of patients treated with antibiotics within an hour, with reduced median door-to-antibiotic times. The intervention was also associated with positive secondary outcomes, including reduced hospital length of stay and in-hospital mortality. Success is attributed to concurrent activation of primary processes: early identification by nurses, prompt laboratory support, and anticipatory pharmacy engagement.
Conclusion: The sepsis huddle is an effective, multi-professional intervention for promoting time-sensitive sepsis bundle compliance. Future efforts must work to standardize its components and overcome implementation barriers to optimize patient outcomes.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Jabril Ali Hakami, Anwar Ali A Hakami, Wejdan Abdu M Jafar, Amunah Mohammed Ahmed Hakami, Sarah Mubarak M Aldawsari, Salha Mohammed Al-Thrwy, Fahad Eidhah S Alharthi, Ahmad Saud Alhejaili, Abdul Rahim Badi Awad Al Harbi, Majed Ahmed Mohamed Badwialan, Salmah Mashhi Hamad Aldhafeeri, Yasser Abdrab Alamir Khalifa Alkuwaiti
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