In this article, we will walk you through the NEWS feature, and capturing AVPU scores.
The NEWS Score
The National Early Warning Score (NE
WS), developed by the Royal College of Physicians, is designed to enhance the recognition and management of clinical deterioration in adult patients. It plays a vital role in patient safety and better clinical outcomes.
NEWS uses a straightforward aggregate scoring system that assigns points to routinely collected physiological measurements when patients arrive at, or are being monitored in, hospital settings.
The six essential vital signs required to calculate a NEWS score are:
1. Respiratory Rate
2. Oxygen saturation
3. Blood pressure
4. Pulse Rate
5. Level of consciousness or new confusion (AVPU Score)
6. Temperature
The AVPU Scale
The AVPU scale is a tool used by healthcare professionals to assess and document a patient’s level of consciousness, most commonly in emergency care settings. It serves as a simplified version of the Glasgow Coma Scale, which evaluates responses in three areas: eye opening, verbal response, and motor activity. The AVPU assessment focuses on these same observable behaviors, recording the patient’s best response in each category.
To document a patient’s AVPU assessment, go to the patient’s profile and open the Vital Signs section. Then select the + icon to add a new vital signs entry.
After selecting the + icon, a new screen will appear where you can enter and record your assessment. Click once you are done.
To adjust and filter your view, select the eye icon.
This allows you to customise the screen so that only the vital scores you’ve selected in the checkboxes are displayed.
The Vitals Summary Screen
To view the Vitals Summary page, locate and select Facility Rounds on the left hand side menu.
Once accessed, click on Vital Rounds on the top left corner of the page.
On the summary screen, you’ll see all currently admitted patients along with their most recent vital-sign readings from the past 48 hours. These updates appear automatically, so no manual entry is required. The system also calculates each patient’s NEWS score in the background. This score will only be shown once all the necessary data is available. When displayed, the NEWS score helps prioritise patients by highlighting those who may need more urgent attention.
You can filter and sort this view—such as ordering patients by their NEWS scores—to quickly identify and address the most urgent risks
Green = Normal
Yellow = To monitor closely
Orange = Requires action / intervention
Red = Requires immediate action / intervention
We appreciate you taking the time to read this article. For any additional questions or queries, kindly reach out to Healthware Support.
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