Research findings published in Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) conclude sepsis incidence and mortality are underestimated in Australian intensive care unit administrative data. The study sought to compare estimates of the incidence and mortality of sepsis and septic shock among patients in Australian intensive care units (ICUs) according to clinical diagnoses or binational intensive care database (ANZICS CORE) methodology. When compared with the reference standard — prospective clinical diagnosis — ANZICS CORE database criteria significantly underestimate the incidence of sepsis and overestimate the incidence of septic shock, and also result in lower estimated hospital mortality rates for each condition. An accurate, reliable, and reproducible method is needed to determine the incidence and mortality rates of sepsis and septic shock in Australian ICUs.
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