Can J Emerg Med
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Sepsis, a common, time-sensitive condition, is sometimes not identified at emergency department (ED) triage. The use of early warning scores has been shown to improve sepsis-related screening in other settings. ⋯ In our emergency departments, we identified potential barriers to implementation of an early warning score. A pre-existing expertise and lexicon related to critically ill patients lessens the perceived utility of an EWS in the ED. Understanding these cultural barriers needs to be addressed through change theory and implementation science.