Table 1.

Clinical diagnostic methods

	Classification method
	1. Initial assessment: attending physician	2. Initial assessment: site investigator	3. Discharge assessment: site investigators	4. External RPD
By:	Attending physician (N = 1)	Site investigator (N = 1)	Site investigators (N = 2)	External expert panel (N = 3)
When:	Within 24 h of admission to ICU	Within 48 h of admission to ICU (nearly always within 24 h)	At discharge from ICU	Following discharge from ICU
Using:	Clinical signs at admission and basic laboratory and radiology results	Clinical signs at admission and basic laboratory and radiology results	• Retrospective data (first 24 h in ICU) • Microbiology • Non-culture based pathogen detection results • Radiology	• Retrospective data (first 24 h in ICU) • Microbiology • Non-culture-based pathogen detection results • Radiology • Retrospective discharge assessment
Output	SIRS/indeterminate/sepsis	SIRS/indeterminate/sepsis	SIRS/indeterminate/sepsis	SIRS/indeterminate/sepsis
Adjudication	None	None	If site investigators do not agree, then 3rd independent physician’s vote taken	Full agreement = SIRS or sepsis 2/3 agreement = SIRS or sepsis No agreement = Indeterminate