Analysis of the early warning score to detect critical or high-risk patients in the prehospital setting

The early warning score can help to prevent, recognize and act at the first signs of clinical and physiological deterioration. The objective of this study is to evaluate different scales for use in the prehospital setting and to select the most relevant one by applicability and capacity to predict mortality in the first 48 h. A prospective longitudinal observational study was conducted in patients over 18 years of age who were treated by the advanced life support unit and transferred to the emergency department between April and July 2018. We analyzed demographic variables as well as the physiological parameters and clinical observations necessary to complement the EWS. Subsequently, each patient was followed up, considering their final diagnosis and mortality data. A total of 349 patients were included in our study. Early mortality before the first 48 h affected 27 patients (7.7%). The scale with the best capacity to predict early mortality was the National Early Warning Score 2, with an area under the curve of 0.896 (95% CI 0.82–0.97). The score with the lowest global classification error was 10 points with sensitivity of 81.5% (95% CI 62.7–92.1) and specificity of 88.5% (95% CI 84.5–91.6). The early warning score studied (except modified early warning score) shows no statistically significant differences between them; however, the National Early Warning Score 2 is the most used score internationally, validated at the prehospital scope and with a wide scientific literature that supports its use. The Prehospital Emergency Medical Services should include this scale among their operative elements to complement the structured and objective evaluation of the critical patient.