It Takes Two to Make It Right: How Nurses' Response to Sepsis Alerts Impacts Physicians' Process Compliance.

This article examines how nurse-physician interactions, facilitated by an automated sepsis alert system integrated into electronic health records (EHRs), influence physicians' compliance with evidence-based sepsis care standards and subsequent patient outcomes. Using data from a large U.S. hospital system, the study finds that nurses’ timely acknowledgment of alerts and notification of physicians significantly increase physicians’ likelihood of performing recommended diagnostic or treatment actions within designated time frames. This positive effect is amplified under high workload conditions but weakened by frequent false-positive alerts, which contribute to alert fatigue and reduce trust in the system. Improved physician compliance, driven by effective nurse-physician coordination, is associated with shorter hospital stays and fewer intensive care unit admissions. The findings highlight the importance of empowering nurses in clinical workflows and designing alert systems that consider team dynamics, workload, and alert accuracy to enhance care quality.