UMMS Sepsis Early Prediction Score (SEPSys) and RESCUE Score Combined Clinical Trial
Sepsis · Patient Deterioration
What this study involves
The registry says this study is recruiting. Individual locations may have different availability.
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Age range
- 18 years - Not specified
- Sex eligible
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Participants
- 150000 Estimated
These are starting points, not an eligibility decision. The research team must review the full requirements.
About the research
This study is designed to test two new risk scores - one designed to predict a patient's four-hour risk of developing sepsis and one designed to predict a patient's four-hour risk of deterioration (cardiac arrest, death, unplanned ICU transfer, or rapid response team call). The goal of this study is to improve provider awareness of a patient's risk of these two negative outcomes by providing them with new risk scores. The primary outcome will be the time from when the risk score becomes elevated to when vital signs such as heart rate or blood pressure are measured, suggesting an increased awareness.
Read the full description
The University of Maryland Medical System is conducting a study designed to test two new risk scores - one designed to predict a patient's four-hour risk of developing sepsis and one designed to predict a patient's four-hour risk of deterioration (death, cardiac arrest, unplanned ICU transfer, or rapid response call). The goal of this study is to improve provider awareness of a patient's risk of these two negative outcomes, sepsis and deterioration, by providing them with new risk scores. To assess provider awareness of risk, this study will measure time from elevated risk score to measurement of vital signs, such as heart rate or blood pressure with the hope that increased awareness of risk will decrease time to vital sign measurement, indicating closer monitoring.
The first risk score, the RESCUE Score, produces a highly accurate 1-4 color-coded risk score where a 1 indicates that a patient has a low risk of having a deterioration event in the next four hours and a 4 indicates that the patient has a high risk of having a deterioration event in the next four hours. The second risk score, the SEPSys Score, produces a highly accurate 1-4 color coded risk score where 1 indicates that a patient has a low risk of developing sepsis in the next 4 hours and a 4 indicates that the patient has a high risk of developing sepsis in the next 4 hours. Both of these scores are predictive of events that may happen in the future but are not detective or diagnostic of events that are actively occurring.
In this study, hospitals will be randomized for the order in which they cross-over from the control arm (no risk score) to either having the SEPSys or RESCUE Score visible for their inpatients. After a few months with an individual risk score, the second risk score will be added. Thus, at the beginning of the study, no hospitals with have the new risk scores available, for a period in the middle of the study each hospital will have one risk score available, and by the end of the study all hospitals will have both risk scores available. Regardless of which risk scores are available, the clinicians will be free to recommend treatments and implement care plans using their own judgement. No procedures impacting patient care will be specified for this study.
Who may be able to participate?
The list below is the sponsor’s full registry wording. It can include conditions, prior treatment, test results and other requirements. A match in search does not mean you qualify.
Hospital Unit Inclusion Criteria:
- Units are part of a member hospital of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS)
- Units treat inpatient patients
- Units agree to participate in the study
General Encounter Inclusion Criteria:
- Encounter is on a participating inpatient unit
- Encounter is associated with a bedded patient in the hospital
- Encounter is associated with an adult (at least 18 years of age at time of admission)
Additional SEPSys Encounter Inclusion Criteria:
• Encounter has a SEPSys Score
Additional RESCUE Encounter Inclusion Criteria:
• Encounter has a RESCUE Score
Exclusion Criteria:
Hospital Unit Exclusion Criteria:
- Unit treats exclusively outpatients or is located in an outpatient setting
- Unit treats primarily or exclusively pediatric patients (patients under the age of 18 years old)
- Unit treats exclusively psychiatric patients
Additional SEPSys Encounter Exclusion Criteria:
- Encounter is with OB for a normal delivery and the patient has yet to give birth. This encounter can become eligible once the patient has given birth.
- Encounter is admitted with a diagnosis of sepsis
- Sepsis was already diagnosed during the encounter
This encounter will have been eligible until the patient began showing clinical signs or symptoms of sepsis or received a diagnosis of sepsis. Once they have a diagnosis or clinical signs or symptoms of sepsis, their SEPSys Score will no longer be updated. Data will continue to be collected on time of laboratory orders and treatments.
Additional RESCUE Encounter Exclusion Criteria:
• Encounter is admitted with a high RESCUE Score (RESCUE Score of 4)
Understand screeningTreatment, groups and participation
The registry may describe treatments and study duration without a complete visit calendar. Ask the study team for the exact schedule, procedures, risks, costs and alternatives. Keep your usual care plan unless your treating clinician tells you otherwise.
- Assignment
- Random assignment
- Masking
- Single masked
SEPSys
Cluster has SEPSys Score only
Device: SEPSys
RESCUE
Cluster has RESCUE Score only
Device: RESCUE
SEPSys+RESCUE
Cluster has both SEPSys \& RESCUE Scores
Device: SEPSys · Device: RESCUE
Baseline
Cluster has neither SEPSys nor RESCUE
SEPSys DEVICE
The SEPSys Score is a clinical decision support tool for predicting the risk of developing sepsis in the next 4 hours. The SEPSys Score produces a 1-4, color-coded risk, where 4 (red) is the highest risk and 1 (green) is the lowest risk.
RESCUE DEVICE
The RESCUE Score is a clinical decision support tool for predicting the risk of patient experiencing clinical deterioration (cardiac arrest, rapid response team call, death, or unplanned increase in care) in the next 4 hours. The RESCUE Score produces a 1-4, color-coded risk, where 4 (red) is the highest risk and 1 (green) is the lowest risk.
What researchers are measuring
Outcome measures describe what is being studied. They are not proof that a treatment works.
Primary measures
Time To Vital Sign Measurement
Time frame: From time of elevation of either the Sepsis Early Prediction System (SEPSys) or RESCUE Score to measurement of vital signs, assessed continually during the hospitalization (up to 24 hours after the elevation)).
Time to vital sign measurement after elevation of either the Sepsis Early Prediction System (SEPSys) or RESCUE Score. An elevated SEPSys or RESCUE Score is defined as a current SEPSys or RESCUE Score of 3 or 4 (highest risk) when the previous Score was a 1 (lowest risk) or 2.
Secondary measures
Sepsis diagnosis
Time frame: Beginning at time of hospital admission and assessed continually until hospital discharge (average of 5 days).
The patient develops sepsis during the hospitalization following elevation of the SEPSys score. An elevated SEPSys or RESCUE Score is defined as a current SEPSys or RESCUE Score of 3 or 4 (highest risk) when the previous Score was a 1 (lowest risk) or 2.
Time to sepsis-specific treatment
Time frame: From time of elevation of the SEPSys Score to initiation of sepsis-specific antibiotics or fluid bolus, assessed continually during the hospitalization (up to 96 hours).
Time from first elevated SEPSys Score to order/administration of sepsis indicated antibiotics or fluid bolus. An elevated SEPSys or RESCUE Score is defined as a current SEPSys or RESCUE Score of 3 or 4 (highest risk) when the previous Score was a 1 (lowest risk) or 2.
Deterioration Events
Time frame: Beginning at time of hospital admission and assessed continually until hospital discharge (average of 5 days).
Binary outcome of deterioration event (cardiac arrest, death, rapid response team call, unplanned increase in level of care). An elevated SEPSys or RESCUE Score is defined as a current SEPSys or RESCUE Score of 3 or 4 (highest risk) when the previous Score was a 1 (lowest risk) or 2.
Frequency of laboratory orders
Time frame: From time of elevation of either the Sepsis Early Prediction System (SEPSys) or RESCUE Score to measurement of laboratory orders, assessed continually during the hospitalization (up to 24 hours).
Frequency of laboratory orders or measurements after an elevated SEPSys or RESCUE Score. An elevated SEPSys or RESCUE Score is defined as a current SEPSys or RESCUE Score of 3 or 4 (highest risk) when the previous Score was a 1 (lowest risk) or 2.
Review the complete result tables and limitations in the official record.
Open official results ↗Research locations (8)
The overall study status and a local site’s status can differ. Confirm that location’s availability before traveling.
8 locations
University of Maryland Medical Center - MidtownBaltimore, Maryland, United StatesRecruiting
University of Maryland Medical CenterBaltimore, Maryland, United StatesRecruiting
University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical CenterBel Air, Maryland, United StatesNot yet recruiting
University of Maryland Shore Medical CenterEaston, Maryland, United StatesRecruiting
University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical CenterGlen Burnie, Maryland, United StatesRecruiting
University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical CenterLa Plata, Maryland, United StatesRecruiting
University of Maryland Capital Region Medical CenterLargo, Maryland, United StatesRecruiting
University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical CenterTowson, Maryland, United StatesNot yet recruiting
Study team and timeline
- Lead sponsor
- University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Study start
- Feb 1, 2026 Actual
- Primary completion
- 2027-12 Estimated
- Study completion
- 2028-12 Estimated
- First posted
- Jan 16, 2025 Actual
- Last updated
- Nov 10, 2026 Actual
Official study contacts
Official study title
Full Title: Sepsis Early Prediction System Score (SEPSys Score) and RESCUE Score Multi-Site, Two-Intervention, Cluster-Randomized, Factorial Stepped-Wedge Pragmatic Clinical Trial at the University of Mayland Medical System
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Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Information is submitted by sponsors and investigators. NLM does not approve the safety or science of all listed studies. Registry disclaimer.
Retrieved: Nov 12, 2026 · Last registry update: Nov 10, 2026
