Table 4 Number of patients with recordings of abnormal vital signs that did/did not trigger responses at MEWS of 3 or 2 in two trial arms
MEWS | Vital signs | Intervention arm (n = 150) Number (% of total) | Control arm (n = 142) Number (% of total) | OR (95% CI) | P value (from Fisher’s exact test) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Respiratory rate (RR) (bpm) | |||||
3 | 25–50 | 9 (6.0) | 61 (42.9) | ||
2 | 21–24 | 34 (22.7) | 9 (6.3) | ||
Total abnormal RR | 43 (28.7) | 70 (49.3) | |||
Rescued/assistance summoned | Number (% of abnormal) | Number (% of abnormal) | |||
Yes, and should have | 1 (2.3) | 1 (1.4) | 1.64 (0.10–26.97) | 0.73 | |
No, but should have | 42 (97.7) | 69 (98.6) | |||
Oxygen saturation (%) | |||||
3 | 78–91 | 12 (8.0) | 6 (4.2) | ||
2 | 92–93 | 7 (4.7) | 3 (2.1) | ||
Total abnormal sats | 19 (12.7) | 9 (6.3) | |||
Rescued/assistance summoned | Number (% of abnormal) | Number (% of abnormal) | |||
Yes, and should have | 0 | 5 (55.6) | Cannot be computed | 0.003 | |
No, but should have | 19 (100.0) | 4 (44.4) | |||
Heart rate (HR) | |||||
Upper 3 | ≥ 131 | 8 (5.3) | 7 (4.9) | ||
Lower 3 | ≤ 40 | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.7) | ||
Upper 2 | 111–130 | 35 (23.3) | 29 (20.4) | ||
Total abnormal HR | 44 (29.3) | 37 (26.1) | |||
Rescued / assistance summoned | Number (% of abnormal) | Number (% of abnormal) | |||
Yes, and should have | 2 (4.8) | 1 (2.7) | 1.71 (0.15–19.70) | 0.66 | |
No, but should have | 42 (95.2) | 36 (97.3) | |||
Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) | |||||
Upper 3 | ≥ 220 mmHg | 1 (0.7) | 4 (2.8) | ||
Lower 3 | ≤ 90 mmHg | 28 (18.7) | 23 (16.2) | ||
Lower 2 | 91–100 mmHg | 28 (18.7) | 32 (22.5) | ||
Total Abnormal SBP | 57 (38.0) | 59 (41.5) | |||
Rescued/assistance summoned | Number (% of abnormal) | Number (% of abnormal) | |||
Yes, and should have | 1 (1.8) | 11 (18.6) | 0.08 (0.01–0.63) | 0.003 | |
No, but should have | 56 (98.2) | 48 (81.4) | |||
Level of consciousness (LOC) | |||||
3 | Reacting to voice/pain/unresponsive | 2 (1.3) | 3 (2.1) | ||
Total abnormal LOC | 2 (1.3) | 3 (2.1) | |||
Rescued/assistance summoned | Number (% of abnormal) | Number (% of abnormal) | |||
Yes, and should have | 2 (100.0) | 2 (66.7) | Cannot be computed | 0.36 | |
No, but should have | 0 | 1 (33.3) | |||
Total abnormal recordings | 165 | 178 |