References
A retrospective observational study to explore the introduction of the National Early Warning Score in NEAS
Abstract
Background:
The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) is a simple, rapid assessment tool compiled from respiratory rate, oxygen saturations, supplemental oxygen, temperature, systolic blood pressure, heart rate and level of consciousness developed by the Royal College of Physicians. NEWS was introduced into practice at North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) between April 2013 and March 2014. This paper will examine the use of NEWS in pre-hospital practice and seek to describe the patient population in terms of NEWS.
Methods:
Cross-sectional samples of patient records from NEAS attendances over two 24-hour periods were examined for NEWS usage, completeness of necessary observations and outcomes that may be linked to NEWS. A primary sample from 8 July 2013 included 100% of patients. A secondary sample of 10% of patients was taken from 1 April 2014.
Results:
Although 90% of all cases may be suitable for NEWS <1% (
Conclusions:
NEWS is not being documented by ambulance crews although the majority of the necessary elements are being recorded. This largely descriptive account of the use of NEWS within NEAS indicates that NEWS has not been adopted by ambulance crews.
The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) is a simple, rapid assessment tool developed by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) (2012) to standardise the assessment and monitoring of patients presenting with acute illness. NEWS scores six physiological observations from 0–3 and adds a weighting of two points for the use of supplemental oxygen. The scores are combined to give an indication of the patient's wellbeing (see Appendix 1 for the NEWS tool). NEWS is not suitable for maternity cases or paediatric patients due to their altered physiological norms.
This study will investigate the introduction of NEWS into pre-hospital practice by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS). NEAS introduced NEWS to support paramedic decision making and to ease communication with other health professionals. NEAS introduced NEWS through the Essential Annual Training (EAT) programme (April 2013 to March 2014). EAT is an annual two-day update for all NEAS staff and NEWS was one element that was covered in around one hour of teaching and discussion. There is a lack of literature describing the use of NEWS in the pre-hospital setting so this study will seek to address this gap and give an insight into how this patient assessment system has been adopted and used by staff.
Subscribe to get full access to the Journal of Paramedic Practice
Thank you for visiting the Journal of Paramedic Practice and reading our archive of expert clinical content. If you would like to read more from the only journal dedicated to those working in emergency care, you can start your subscription today for just £48.
What's included
-
CPD Focus
-
Develop your career
-
Stay informed