Chair Files

Patient Early Warning System

A technique used in aviation is being applied to health care once again. To detect early malfunctioning in jet engines, "data fusion" integrates multiple single alerts into a single early warning system. Providence Alaska Medical Center, a 341-bed hospital in Anchorage, AK, recently piloted a database and modified early warning system (MEWS) to identify patients with deteriorating conditions. In the study, a MEWS score, ranging from 1 to 5 and based on vital signs, was generated every hour for all patients and monitored by the Providence Early Assessment team, known as PEAT. PEAT visited patients when a score changed from 3 to 4 or from 4 to 5 and assessed them for deterioration or clinical change, according to Roy Davis, M.D., chief medical officer. As a result of using MEWS, PEAT visits to patients increased but code blue calls to floors decreased. By decreasing code blues, PAMC expects to decrease mortality rates and length of stay and increase quality and value. Currently working to complete implementation and interface of its EMR, PAMC is ready to put MEWS back online. For more information, contact Dr. Davis at Roy.Davis@providence.org.

  

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