Abstract 9778: Establishing Inter Rater Reliability of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS)

A change in patient condition is a dynamic process which can go unrecognized and result in a failure to rescue. Changes in patients’ vital signs can precede adverse events many hours before critical events such as cardiac arrest or emergent transfer to the Intensive Care Unit occurs. Quantitative assessment tools are used to predict risk and need for additional resources at the bedside. These tools are referred to as Early Warning Scoring Systems. The Royal College of Physicians developed a standardized tool called the National Early Warning Score (NEWS, 2012) that uses a variety of physiologic parameters to assess risk and establish a trigger threshold for summoning additional resources. Purpose: Early warning scoring tools have been found to be reliable and accurate in predicting patient decompensation. However, data from instruments are only as reliable and accurate as the caregiver who obtains and documents the parameters. The purpose of this study was to establish inter rater reliability between the ...