Digital Sepsis Alert (DiAlS) 

Background

Delayed recognition of sepsis is associated with increased mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher ICU admission rates. Improving early detection is a national priority.

The Digital Sepsis Alert was introduced to address this challenge by:

• continuously analysing EHR data

• identifying early clinical signs of sepsis

• prompting clinicians with real-time alerts

• enabling timely sepsis screening and treatment

We led the evaluation of its clinical effectiveness and system impact.

Associated Themes

Information & Intelligence ¦ Multimorbidity & Mental Health

What We Did

Researchers analysed tens of thousands of patient episodes across multiple NWL hospitals using:

• Interrupted time series analysis

• Comparison of pre- and post-implementation outcomes

• Evaluation of changes in workflow and clinician response times

• Linkage of EHR, screening, and treatment data

• Analysis of ICU utilisation and mortality

The team worked closely with clinical leads to understand operational impact.

Dissemination & Capacity Building

• Supporting Trusts in interpreting findings

• Sharing lessons across NWL via ARC NWL Evaluation Learning Events

What We Found

The evaluation demonstrated significant improvements in outcomes after implementation:

• 14% reduction in in-hospital mortality for patients who triggered the alert

• Earlier time-to-treatment, particularly for antibiotics

• Reduction in ICU admissions linked to faster escalation

• Shorter length of stay for alerted patients

• Better sepsis screening compliance across Trusts

These findings provide robust evidence that real-time digital alerts can meaningfully improve clinical safety.

What This Means

The project shows that digital clinical decision-support tools can improve patient outcomes when implemented at scale. The DiAlS programme has:

• informed national digital early warning systems

• contributed to NHS patient safety frameworks

• been featured in peer-reviewed journals

• influenced the adoption of similar alerting systems across other ICSs

• highlighted the importance of real-world evaluation in digital health