What is the Role of Nursing Homes in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign?

Recently, there have been several publications advocating for an expansive role for nursing homes (NHs) in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC). The rationale for this effort is the problem of high rates of 30-day readmissions from NHs and a disproportionate percentage of residents with a diagnosis of sepsis in emergency departments. This article provides a brief history of the SSC and the evolution of the definition of sepsis and of the timing of interventions that make up a “sepsis bundle.” Screening tools for sepsis that may be used in the NH setting are discussed.