The q-SOFA score was calculated for all patients, and a patient with qSOFA Score ≥2 was categorized as high risk (Seymour et al., 2016).

Outcomes included days of hospital stay, any event of intubation, ICU admission, and in-hospital death.

Categorical variables were described in frequencies and percentages. Quantitative variables were described with the mean (Standard deviation (SD)) or median and [Q1 – Q3]. Parametric and nonparametric tests, including t-test and Mann-Whitney test for comparing quantitative variables and Chi-squared test for comparing categorical variables were used. In a first step, variables showing associations at a significance level of α=0.20 in a univariable logistic models were selected for inclusion in the multivariable logistic model for adjustment. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata (Corp. 2009. Stata Statistical Software: Release 11. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP.). Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05.