NSW Health is expanding trials of an AI prediction model designed to help clinicians identify sepsis earlier, with the project receiving almost $500,000 from the Minns Labor government’s $4.9 million investment in high-impact research.
The SAFE-WAIT project uses artificial intelligence to assess patients in emergency department waiting rooms and flag those at low, moderate, or high risk of developing sepsis.
The model was initially piloted at Westmead Hospital in 2024, where clinicians identified and treated patients with sepsis faster after the system flagged them as being at high risk.
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening response to infection, with early treatment critical to improving patient outcomes.
The new funding will support a two-and-a-half-year evaluation across Westmead, Auburn, Blacktown, Mount Druitt, and Nepean hospitals. The project is expected to recommence at the start of 2027.
Developed by NSW Health clinicians led by emergency physician Associate Professor Amith Shetty, SAFE-WAIT uses initial emergency department assessment data entered by a triage nurse to generate its risk assessment.
“The SAFE-WAIT model is trying to help clinicians see the full picture, identifying sepsis much earlier than traditional methods,” Shetty said in a 13 September statement.
“This tool is designed to support nursing action, particularly where there are patients in a waiting room and there has been no medical reviews undertaken.
“This AI tool enables clinicians to reassess patients where they could have sepsis. Within the pilot we undertook we tracked that on average patients were administered antibiotics 83 minutes earlier than without the model, showing how proactive it is.”
The expanded trial will assess whether the model can reliably identify sepsis across different hospital environments, providing a broader test of its effectiveness beyond the initial Westmead pilot.
The project forms part of a broader NSW Health push to assess practical applications for AI in healthcare, with more than 200 government, healthcare, industry, education, research and legal representatives attending an AI forum this week.
Minister for Health Ryan Park said that with a condition such as sepsis, every second counts.
“This investment in AI technology will help clinicians identify it early, improving the safety of patients in ED waiting rooms,” Park said.
“The SAFE-WAIT program has shown promising results at Westmead Hospital, and we are excited to see it expand to other hospitals.”
World Sepsis Day is observed every year on 13 September.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?Make Cyber Daily a preferred news source on Google.
