An artificial intelligence model designed to identify patients at risk of sepsis while they wait for emergency care will be tested across five Western Sydney hospitals following promising early work at Westmead Hospital.
The SAFE-WAIT system assesses patients in near real time, helping clinicians identify those whose condition may be deteriorating before the usual signs of sepsis become apparent.
Project lead Dr Gladis Kabil said the technology was intended to support clinical judgement in busy emergency departments.
“The model is trying to help the clinician to see, in a crowded waiting room, those who might be quietly developing sepsis,” Kabil said.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the body’s extreme response to an infection, which can damage organs and become fatal without prompt treatment.
The system was piloted at Westmead Hospital in 2024 and is now expected to be evaluated at five emergency departments across Western Sydney. Researchers will examine its effect on patient outcomes, staff experience and health service costs.
The project, formally titled SAFE-WAIT SPACE to Sepsis Care: a real-time AI algorithm to recognise sepsis in patients in emergency department waiting rooms, has received almost $500,000 through the 2026 NSW Health Translational Research Grants Scheme.
The research involves clinicians and researchers from Western Sydney Local Health District, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, Western Sydney University, eHealth NSW and the NSW Ministry of Health.
A preliminary evaluation found the model performed consistently across patient groups and could be introduced into clinical practice in a low-risk setting, although researchers said further studies were needed to determine its effect on patient outcomes. The published research describes the work as the first stage of a multistage clinical evaluation.
Western Sydney Health highlighted the project for World Sepsis Day on Sunday, September 13, which is observed each year to raise awareness of the condition and the importance of early recognition.
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