Fig. 1

The relationship between in-hospital mortality and misdiagnosis or unidentified of the site of infection among patients with infection using the generalized estimating equations (GEE) with exchangeable working-correlation matrix models and propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis. The primary analysis described the GEE models for all patients and patients with qSOFA ≥ 2 and the PSM model. The GEE model for all patients adjusted: age, Charlson comorbidity index, clinical frailty scale, qSOFA, site of infection at final diagnosis (lung, intra-abdominal, urinary tract, soft tissue, rare [central nervous system (CNS); osteoarticular; endocardium; wound; catheter-related; and implant device-related], other, or unidentified). The GEE model for patients with qSOFA ≥ 2 adjusted: the same variables of the GEE model for all patients except qSOFA. The PSM model adjusted: age, Charlson comorbidity index, clinical frailty scale, MBP, HR, RR, GCS, site of infection at final diagnosis (lung, intra-abdominal, urinary tract, soft tissue, rare [central nervous system (CNS); osteoarticular; endocardium; wound; catheter-related; and implant device-related], other, or unidentified). The sensitivity analysis described the GEE models for all patients and patients with qSOFA ≥ 2 and PSM model excluding patients with an unidentified site of infection. The GEE model for all patients adjusted: age, Charlson comorbidity index, clinical frailty scale, qSOFA, site of infection at final diagnosis (lung, intra-abdominal, urinary tract, soft tissue, rare [central nervous system (CNS); osteoarticular; endocardium; wound; catheter-related, implant device-related, and other]). The GEE model for patients with qSOFA ≥ 2 adjusted: the same variables of the GEE model for all patients except qSOFA. The PSM adjusted: age, Charlson comorbidity index, clinical frailty scale, MBP, HR, RR, GCS, site of infection at final diagnosis (lung, intra-abdominal, urinary tract, soft tissue, rare [central nervous system (CNS); osteoarticular; endocardium; wound; catheter-related, implant device-related, and other]). qSOFA quick sequential organ failure assessment, PSM propensity score-matched