Defining obesity in patients with sepsis: a scoping review protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to summarise how obesity is examined in clinical studies. Introduction: Patients with obesity in sepsis are at higher risk of deterioration due to their co-morbidities. Conflicting results existed among studies in which obesity was associated with better outcomes in sepsis patients, weighing the advantage of being obese in a life-threatening condition. Many approaches used to distinguish obesity and sepsis might influence study outcomes. This review will map and analyse the assessment tools for obesity in patients with sepsis. Inclusion criteria: This review will include citations covering obesity and sepsis measurement in adult participants aged 18 years or older in clinical settings. Studies of obesity or sepsis as a secondary topic will be excluded. Methods: A literature search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Embase will be conducted to identify relevant studies. The time interval will be 2012 to 2023, limited to English language, adults, and journal articles. The studies will be selected, extracted, and analysed by the team. The data will be plotted by study purposes, participants, concept, context, study design, and obesity categorisations. The results will be reported and provide implications for research and practice.