Danish medical journal
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Danish medical journal · Feb 2018
ReviewEarly warning score challenges and opportunities in the care of deteriorating patients .
Clinical deterioration of patients hospitalized on general wards is often preceded by worsening vital signs. If identified early and acted upon quickly, it is conjectured that further deterioration can be prevented. To this means the early warning score (EWS) was implemented in all hospitals in the Capital Region of Denmark in 2013. ⋯ Of 3185 patients screened for eligibility, 1346 patients were included to the trial, and data from 544 patients were available for final analysis. Of these 49 % percent were allocated to the 8h group and 51% to the 12h group; of these, 23% and 20% had an elevated EWS≥2 at 24h, respectively (p=0.456), OR 1.17 (0.78-1.76). There were no significant differences in regard to the secondary outcomes: cardiac arrests, ICU admissions, review by MET, length of hospital stay, mortality, or elevated EWS at 48h.