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Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

DOI

10.3906/sag-1411-101

Abstract

Background/aim: To analyze the potency of a modified early warning score (EWS) to help predict hospital mortality when used for surveillance in nonacute medical wards. Materials and methods: Patients in internal medicine wards were prospectively recruited. First, highest, and last scores; and mean daily score recordings and values were recorded. Nurses calculated scores for each patient upon admission and every 4 h. The last score was the score before death, discharge, or transfer to another ward. The highest scores in total and for each single parameter were used for analysis. Results: Fifty-nine percent of 182 recruited patients had recordings eligible for data analysis. Patients admitted from the emergency room had higher mortality rates than patients admitted from outpatient clinics (15% vs. 1.5%; P = 0.01) as well as patients whose first (40% vs. 4.9%; P = 0.033) and highest scores (18.8% vs. 1.3%; P = 0.003) were equal to or more than 3. The first recorded EWS was not predictive for mortality while the maximum score during the admission period was. Conclusion: This study underlines the fact that each physiological variable of EWS may not have the same weight in determining the outcome.

Keywords

Acute, admission, early warning score, internal medicine

First Page

1786

Last Page

1791

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