Individual research recommendation details

Recommendation ID

NG51/4

Question

Validation of clinical early warning scores in pre-hospital and emergency care settings:- Can early warning scores, for example NEWS (national early warning scores for adults) and PEWS (paediatric early warning score), be used to improve the detection of sepsis and facilitate prompt and appropriate clinical response in pre-hospital settings and in emergency departments?

Any explanatory notes
(if applicable)

Why this is important:- Delay in detecting and treating sepsis increases mortality. Early detection and appropriate management will reduce morbidity and mortality and will reduce NHS costs by reducing critical care admissions, inappropriate antimicrobial use and length of hospital stay. No high quality data exist on the validation or use of early warning scores in pre-hospital settings or in the emergency department settings. The use of scores might improve communication between pre-hospital settings and hospital settings and allow recognition of people who need more urgent assessment.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance

Suspected sepsis: recognition, diagnosis and early management

Number

NG51

Date issued

July 2016

Other details