Process / pipelineVital sign monitoring and acute deterioration detection

Early Warning Score

The Early Warning Score (EWS), most commonly known as the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) in the UK, is a standardized tool for identifying acutely unwell patients at risk of deterioration. Developed by the Royal College of Physicians and validated through research by Smith, Prytherch, and colleagues, NEWS combines vital sign measurements and supplemental oxygen use to generate a composite score. High NEWS scores trigger escalated care responses, enabling early intervention before critical illness develops.

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Sources

  1. Smith, G. B., Prytherch, D. R., Schmidt, P. E., & Featherstone, P. I. (2008). Should early warning systems be based on single data points or on trends? Resuscitation, 81(4), 424-426. DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2008.01.019
  2. Royal College of Physicians. (2017). National Early Warning Score (NEWS) 2: standardising the assessment of acute illness severity in the NHS. Royal College of Physicians, London. link

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Referenced by

ScholarGateEarly Warning Score (Early Warning Score for Patient Deterioration Detection). Retrieved 2026-06-04 from https://scholargate.app/en/nursing/early-warning-score