Annals of intensive care
July 30, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Temporal trends and social determinants of sepsis knowledge in Brazil: findings from three national cross-sectional surveys.
Machado FR, Azevedo LCP, Pellozo LR, +7 more, de Souza DC.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Three national surveys in Brazil (2014, 2017, 2026) showed public sepsis knowledge improved over the past decade but remains low and shaped by socioeconomic factors.
What was studied
Repeated cross-sectional face-to-face surveys of 6,312 Brazilians using stratified random sampling to assess basic sepsis knowledge and its social determinants.
Key findings
- 6,312 participants across 2014, 2017 and 2026
- Adequate basic knowledge rose from 2.6% in 2014 to 5.8% in 2017
- 2026 knowledge levels and determinant effect sizes: specific statistic not fully captured in the abstract
- Socioeconomic factors strongly influenced awareness
Clinical relevance
Highlights persistent gaps in public sepsis awareness that may affect early care-seeking; survey data describe knowledge, not clinical outcomes.
Who should care
Limitations
Cross-sectional design; key 2026 results are truncated in the abstract.
Sepsis awareness in Brazil is growing but still limited and unequal.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Background
Public awareness of sepsis is essential for early recognition of warning signs and timely healthcare seeking behavior, but data from resource-limited settings remain scarce.
Methods
We evaluated sepsis knowledge in Brazil using cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2014, 2017, and 2026. Standardized questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews using random sampling stratified by age, sex, and geographic region. Adequate basic knowledge was defined as having heard the term sepsis and correctly identifying it as a severe host response to infection. In 2026, we additionally assessed knowledge of sepsis time-dependent nature and long-term disability after sepsis. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with knowledge.
Results
A total of 6,312 participants were interviewed (2014: n = 2,126; 2017: n = 2,100; 2026: n = 2,086). Adequate basic knowledge increased from 2.6% in 2014 to 5.8% in 2017 (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.63-3.16; p < 0.001) and 10.3% in 2026 (OR 3.45, 95% CI 2.54-4.75; p < 0.001). In 2026, 70.0% of participants acknowledged that earlier diagnosis and treatment improve survival. Awareness of long-term disabilities was lower (24.4%). Higher educational attainment was the strongest determinant of knowledge across all domains. Younger age, male sex, residence outside state capitals, and lower household income were independently associated with lower knowledge.
Conclusion
Public awareness of sepsis in Brazil has improved substantially over the past decade, suggesting a positive impact of national and international awareness initiatives. Nevertheless, important knowledge gaps persist, and awareness continues to be strongly influenced by socioeconomic factors, highlighting the need for continued efforts to improve sepsis awareness and promote equitable access to health information.
DOI
10.1016/j.aicoj.2026.100128
PMID
42620690
PMCID
PMC13486371
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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