What is the NEWS2 score and how does it help with resident monitoring?

NEWS2 (National Early Warning Score 2) is a scoring system used to identify patients who are at risk of deterioration. It uses a set of vital signs and clinical observations to assign a score to a patient, which can help healthcare providers to identify patients who are becoming unwell and may require further observation, treatment or referral to a higher level of care. 

The NEWS2 score is based on 6 vital signs: Respiration rate, Oxygen saturation, Blood pressure, Heart rate, Conscious level, and Temperature, each vital sign is given a score between 0-3 and the total score ranges from 0-18. The higher the score, the more unwell the patient is considered to be. Depending on the score, different actions can be taken, such as escalating the patient to a higher level of care or requesting additional monitoring.

The main benefit of NEWS2 score is that it allows for early detection of patients who are at risk of deterioration, it provides a simple, objective and standardized way of assessing a patient’s clinical condition, and it helps to ensure that patients receive timely and appropriate care as their health conditions change. For care homes, it helps to identify residents who are becoming unwell and may require further observation, treatment or referral to a higher level of care. It also enables them to track the resident’s condition over time and make adjustments to their care plan as needed.