Clinical Calculators

qSOFA (quick SOFA)

Bedside screening for sepsis in patients with suspected infection

3 items left

4 to 50
/min
Altered mentation (guide: GCS below 15)
50 to 250
mmHg

Cautions

  • Use in adults with suspected infection on general wards and in the emergency department (in the ICU, assess with the SOFA score).
  • qSOFA is not a diagnostic criterion for sepsis. Sepsis is diagnosed when there is infection (including suspected infection) and the SOFA score rises acutely by 2 points or more.
  • qSOFA has low sensitivity for detecting sepsis. Do not rule out sepsis with a score below 2, and do not delay tests or treatment for infection.
  • Any score used to find sepsis early needs care when it is used alone.
  • It was developed and validated in adult patients. Age-adjusted versions of qSOFA are being studied in children, but their predictive power remains moderate.

References

  1. Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, et al. The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):801-810. (Box 4 (qSOFA Criteria), Results, Controversies and Limitations) PMID: 26903338, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.0287[Original article]
  2. Seymour CW, Liu VX, Iwashyna TJ, et al. Assessment of Clinical Criteria for Sepsis: For the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):762-774. (Table 4, Results ("Performance of New, Simple Criteria"), Discussion) PMID: 26903335, DOI: 10.1001/jama.2016.0288[Original article]
  3. Shime N, Nakada T, Yatabe T, et al. Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2024 (J-SSCG 2024) (in Japanese). J Jpn Soc Intensive Care Med. 2024;31(Suppl 2):S1165-S1313. (CQ1-2 and CQ1-3, Table 1-3-2 qSOFA criteria (S1179 to S1181)) https://www.jsicm.org/pdf/cq/J-SSCG2024/J-SSCG2024_Main.pdf[Guideline]
  4. Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. J-SSCG 2024 initial treatment and care bundle (in Japanese). 2024. (Assessment of vital signs (rapid assessment)) https://jsicm.org/pdf/cq/J-SSCG2024/bundle.pdf[Guideline]

Checked on: 2026-10-12

Disclaimer

This calculation is intended to support the judgment of healthcare professionals. Results are for reference only; decisions about diagnosis and treatment must be made by the responsible healthcare professional. The values you enter never leave your device.