Calculators · Critical Care · Score

qSOFA (quick SOFA)

Also called quick SOFA, qSOFA score

Three bedside signs that flag adults with suspected infection outside the ICU at risk of a poor outcome.

qSOFA

0 / 3

Result
Negative (< 2)

qSOFA < 2 does not exclude sepsis; keep reassessing if infection is suspected.

Formula and scoring

1 point each: RR ≥ 22/min, altered mentation, SBP ≤ 100 mmHg. Positive at ≥ 2.

Exam and ward pearls

  • Outside the ICU qSOFA AUROC was 0.81 vs 0.79 for SOFA and 0.76 for SIRS (Seymour 2016).

When not to rely on it

  • qSOFA is a prompt to consider sepsis outside the ICU, not part of the Sepsis-3 definition; a negative result should not delay treatment.

Source

  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):801-10. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0287 · PMID 26903338
  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):762-74. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.0288 · PMID 26903335

Formula and cut-offs checked against these sources on 8 Nov 2026. Educational tool for clinicians; it does not replace clinical judgement.

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