Automated Early Warning Scores (EWS)

Despite the potential to improve patient outcomes, the evidence supporting the utility of EWS systems has been mixed.¹ One potential source of this inconsistency is human error in recording vital signs and calculating early warning scores. For example, an audit of night shift charts by Gordon et al. found that only 21% of charts had complete and correct EWS calculation.² Therefore, automation of vital sign collection and EWS collection may add consistency to EWS implementation. EWS systems integrated into automated monitoring systems have been designed to streamline the recognition of clinical signs of deterioration. Evidence has demonstrated that the implementation of automated EWS systems may improve patient outcome, and reduce cost of implementation compared to traditional manually calculated systems.^3,4