Conclusion

Sepsis remains a major cause of preventable mortality across Africa. EWS provide a practical approach to recognising clinical deterioration, but their impact depends on reliable integration into routine care through structured observation and timely escalation. Emerging evidence from African healthcare demonstrates that meaningful progress is achievable through locally adapted clinical workflows, workforce education and stronger organisational support. These experiences suggest that improving sepsis outcomes will require sustained investment not only in critical care capacity but also in frontline emergency and acute care services that can recognise deterioration early and respond effectively. Ultimately, improving sepsis outcomes in Africa will depend not on developing increasingly sophisticated EWS, but on embedding deterioration-recognition systems that frontline clinicians can apply consistently within routine care.