Open AccessValidation of a Modified Early Warning Score (Mews) in Emergency Department Observation Ward Patients
Author(s) -
Lam TS,
Mak PSK,
Siu WS,
Lam MY,
Cheung TF,
Rainer TH
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
hong kong journal of emergency medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2309-5407
pISSN - 1024-9079
DOI - 10.1177/102490790601300102
Subject(s) - mews , early warning score , medicine , emergency department , emergency medicine , intensive care unit , prospective cohort study , hospital admission , medical emergency , intensive care medicine , psychiatry
Objective The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) is a simple physiological scoring system, which can easily be applied at the bedside. The ability of MEWS to identify patients at risk of deterioration in a busy ward was investigated. Method In a prospective cohort study, we applied MEWS to patients admitted to the 16‐bed emergency department observation ward (EDOW) of a tertiary teaching hospital. Results Data on 427 consecutive EDOW admissions were collected from 7 June to 4 July 2004. Main outcome measures were death, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and inpatient hospital admission. Scores of > 4 were associated with increased risk of death (OR 54.4, 95% CI = 4.7–633.7), ICU admission (OR 12.7, 95% CI = 1.1–147.3) and hospital admission (OR 9.5, 95% CI = 3.3–27.9). Conclusion MEWS is suitable for bedside application in an EDOW setting and may help identify patients at risk of deterioration who require increased levels of care as hospital inpatients and in ICU. Where experienced staff is not available to closely monitor patients in an EDOW, the use of the MEWS system may aid close monitoring and identification of high‐risk patients.