Health professionals usually determine deterioration by looking at a patient’s vital signs. A chart of ‘early warning signs’ allows nurses to assign scores ranging from 0 (normal) to 3 (high risk) to the patient’s vital sign readings and other significant assessments. Adding these scores together gives a total score indicating the patient’s overall condition. HIgher scores indicate higher risk, although a patient’s usual vital signs should be taken into consideration before scoring. Families can also make these calculations if they have a way to measure the patient’s vital signs.

Find more information at

https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/national-early-warning-score-news-2

• Risk zone in each category ranges from normal (0 – white) to high (3 – red).

• Add scores together to get the total NEWS score.