Correspondence: Point-of-care testing for sepsis in remote Australia and for First Nations peoples

Correspondence: Point-of-care testing for sepsis in remote Australia and for First Nations peoples Journal Article

Nature Medicine

• Author(s): Spaeth, Brooke, Taylor, Sean, Shephard, Mark, Reed, Richard L., Omond, Rodney, Karnon, Jonathan, Bonevski, Billie, Rissel, Chris, Ullah, Shahid, Noutsos, Tina, Stephens, Jacqueline H., Smith, James A., Wilson, Annabelle, Abbenbroek, Brett, de Courcy-Ireland, Emma, Finfer, Simon
• Published: 2024
• ISBN: 1546-170X

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Abstract: In Australia, over 55,000 people are diagnosed with sepsis every year1. More than one-quarter of sepsis cases result in death and almost half of all survivors are left with a disability or impaired function2. Populations most at risk of sepsis mortality in Australia are the young, the old, and First Nations peoples (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples)2. The disparity in excess sepsis risk is most evident in rural and remote locations and in northern Australia. The disproportionate risk of sepsis for First Nations peoples, like other health inequities, is linked to challenges associated with accessing healthcare services and the negative effects of colonization, including socioeconomic inequity and the lack of access to culturally safe and appropriate healthcare1,3,4. The resultant increased burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases experienced by First Nations peoples, combined with high rates of multimorbidity, can disguise the signs of sepsis. Recognition and treatment of sepsis are therefore often delayed, placing individuals at increased risk of sepsis-related death and disability1. Shifting deficit narratives away from health inequities requires consideration of structural drivers of health outcomes, including accessible healthcare appropriate to community needs. First Nations peoples therefore need appropriate healthcare tools to assist in the detection of life-threatening illnesses such as sepsis within their remote communities.

• Urls: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03034-2