A Complex Systems View of Sepsis

Abstract

Sepsis is a complicated syndrome that manifests within the complex adaptive system that is the human body. Complexity theory and the recently emerged applied complexity science illustrate these phenomena and the body's response in light of understanding these complex systems. Provision of careful observation by the nurse may recognize signs of moving into a nonadaptive or declining status, facilitating detection before complete sepsis or chaos. Systems or tools that aid the bedside nurse in prompt identification of sepsis and facilitate standardized evidence-based interventions are proving to be a valuable means in the care of the septic patient.

A scoping review of complexity science in nursing

“…Complexity science in clinical nursing referred to patients' symptoms, illness outcomes and safety. The complexity was related to a diagnosis/condition, which in turn concentrated on the patient's needs and the nurse's actions (Mann‐Salinas, Engebretson, & Batchinsky, 2013), e.g., nurses' patient centred partnership, addressing the uniqueness of each patient nurse interaction using the principles of CAS (Anthony, Kloos, Beam, & Vidal, 2018). Complexity was associated with patient needs in relation to complex biological organism such as sepsis, which was described as a complex biological process that affects the organism from the cellular to the organismic level (Mann‐Salinas et al., 2013).…”

“…The complexity was related to a diagnosis/condition, which in turn concentrated on the patient's needs and the nurse's actions (Mann‐Salinas, Engebretson, & Batchinsky, 2013), e.g., nurses' patient centred partnership, addressing the uniqueness of each patient nurse interaction using the principles of CAS (Anthony, Kloos, Beam, & Vidal, 2018). Complexity was associated with patient needs in relation to complex biological organism such as sepsis, which was described as a complex biological process that affects the organism from the cellular to the organismic level (Mann‐Salinas et al., 2013). Several other authors had similarly incorporated complexity science into aspects of illnesses and/or conditions: diabetes (Leykum et al., 2007), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Cornforth, 2013), patients' recovery from spinal cord compression (Paley & Eva, 2011), Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Lindberg & Clancy, 2010), kidney dysfunction (Boudreau & Dubé, 2017), heart failure, HIV/AIDS (Sturmberg&, 2017) and the process of dying from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (Papathanassoglou, Bozas, & Giannakopoulou, 2008).…”

Resilience in Clinical Care: Getting a Grip on the Recovery Potential of Older Adults

“…They can mentor novice physicians to recognize the interactions between the patient's signs, symptoms, test results, and subsequent consequences. Since nurses traditionally have a holistic view on patient care, involving them (and other healthcare professionals) in this line of thinking is a natural step . Together, we can develop tools for describing what is actually happening with the patient and foster the advancement of multidisciplinary clinical resilience management.…”

Driving Sepsis Mortality Down

“…9 Understanding and predicting the pathophysiology of sepsis in any one patient is difficult because the human body is also a complex adaptive system. 10 At the Merinoff Symposium on Sepsis in Fall 2010, a group of international stakeholders developed consensus on public and molecular definitions of sepsis as "a life threatening condition that arises when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs," which occurs as a result of "unbalanced activation of innate immunity." 11 This definition provides a more accurate description of sepsis as a complex disease syndrome that occurs within the complex processes of the human body.…”