Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening disease that affects millions of people in the world every year. If sepsis is not identified and treated in time, it can lead to septic shock, with a high mortality rate. Since sepsis can occur in any healthcare setting, nurses play a crucial role in quickly identifying and caring for affected patients. As the symptoms are often diffuse and complex, the nurse's close contact with the patient and ability to detect early signs of sepsis are crucial for a positive treatment outcome.

Aim: The aim was to highlight nurses' experiences of care in suspected sepsis.

Method: A literature review based on an analysis of research articles, consisting of five quantitative studies, three qualitative studies and two mixed method studies.

Results: The analysis identified an overarching theme: "When healthcare fails: Risks to patient safety in sepsis" along with two main themes: "Deficiencies in competence" and "Deficiencies in the organization that affect the care of patients with sepsis". In addition, five sub-themes emerged: "The importance of practical knowledge", "The importance of theoretical knowledge", "Challenges in the care environment that make early identification difficult", "Communication within the care team" and "The importance of tools and guidelines".

Conclusions: The results show that lack of knowledge, high workload and poor communication jeopardize patient safety in sepsis. Education, support from experienced colleagues, and the use of guidelines and screening tools are essential to improve nursing care and enable faster identification and treatment of sepsis.