Authors' objectives: NHS hospital Trusts implementing early warning systems need to be aware of the extent of evidence supporting their use in routine practice. This issue of Effectiveness Matters summarises evidence from recent systematic reviews that assess whether early warning systems improve patient outcomes compared to standard processes of care. The bulletin has also been informed by roundtable discussions hosted by the Yorkshire and Humber AHSN Improvement Academy

Authors' recommendations: Many in-hospital deaths are predictable and preventable and are often associated with poor clinical monitoring on the ward. Early warning scoring systems are widely used in hospitals to track patient deterioration and to trigger escalations in clinical monitoring and response. National adoption of the NEWS system is advocated. The evidence base for early warning systems is very limited but does suggest potential reductions in cardiac arrests and unplanned ICU admissions. Substantial resources are being invested in electronic early warning systems across the NHS. Given finite budgets, monitoring of costs, resource use and impact on patient outcomes is crucial to any deployment. Continuous training and support for ward level staff (including bank nurses) will be integral to system implementation and to longer term maintenance.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2014

URL for published report: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/pdf/effectiveness-matters-September-2014-earlywarningsystems.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: England

Organisation Name: University of York

Contact Address: University of York, York, Y01 5DD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 1904 321040, Fax: +44 1904 321041,

Contact Name: crd@york.ac.uk

Contact Email: crd@york.ac.uk

Copyright: University of York