Next Generation Early Warning Score
The Early Warning Score (EWS) process, established in 2012 by the UK’s Royal College of Physicians [1], has quickly found its place in several countries and is gaining popularity globally. EWS has also found its place in the Medanets app and is now reaching a new level.
The EWS process has been studied and validated. For example, in the UK, the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) will be mandated for hospital use by April 2019 and is also recommended for use outside hospitals [1]. The EWS calculation process based on changes in vital signs can detect patient deterioration, warning signs and severely ill patients.
Medanets has featured the early warning score (EWS) since 2015. Based on customer requests, this feature is now being updated, making it even better and more versatile to correspond with the best mobile practices. Patients will benefit from the method, and the tool will certainly make it easier for nurses to complete the process.
All EWS types supported
The Medanets app supports each EWS type:
- The UK-originated National EWS (NEWS)
- Version 2 of the NEWS (NEWS2) with two scales – one for e.g. hypercapnic respiratory failure patients, the other for adults in general
- The Paediatric EWS (PEWS) – there are multiple scales to select based on the child’s age – e.g. in Finland, there are five different scales
- The Maternity Obstetric Early Warning Scale (MEOWS) for pregnant and postnatal women
- Any custom-Modified EWS scale (MEWS) – any observation can be used by configuration only
Keeping the Focus on the Patient – All the Time
The scale can be assigned individually for each patient, and the app has a trend view to compare up to four of the latest EWS calculations to discern the patient’s condition, or if treatment for a deteriorating patient is beginning to take effect. The Medanets app can also show results from other sources, such as the Electronic Health Record or a patient monitor. In the near future, we will equip a Care Activities feature to host EWS schedules to keep the nurse very up-to-date with the actions needed for each patient. No EWS event goes unnoticed.
Like any of the nurse’s workflow supporting features we deliver, the EWS works offline, meaning an interrupted connection won’t affect the detection of a deterioration. To provide an overall view of the patients in the hospital or on an individual ward,the Medanets AdminUI tool displays the number of EWS patients by risk category. It also enables the monitoring of the deployment of the EWS process in general.
Second Generation Mobile EWS
In Finland, the deployment of the second generation mobile EWS feature will begin its roll-out in September 2019. We’re excited!
Stay tuned for the results of the EWS implementation:
- Saved hours – eliminating paper and manual calculation
- Care quality – completing the EWS process conveniently while with the patient
- Safety – decreased documentation and calculation errors, immediate decision support
- Efficiency – in at least the smallest smile of a nurse getting technology that helps them
- The cost – return on your investment in no time [2]
References:
[2] Medanets Mobile Documentation, ROI Calculation
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