Use of a modified early warning score system to reduce the rate of in-hospital cardiac arrest

Table 3 Patients’ backgrounds

		Before the introduction of the MEWS system		After the introduction of the MEWS system
Admissions			15,170		17,961
Age, mean ± SD			58.5 ± 29		59.3 ± 28
Male, n (%)			7790 (51.4 %)		9762 (54.4 %)
Diagnoses prompting hospital admission, n (%)	1	Pneumonia	922 (6.1 %)	Pneumonia	1160 (6.5 %)
	2	Angina	582 (3.8 %)	Angina	797 (4.4 %)
	3	Urinary tract infection	399 (2.5 %)	Urinary tract infection	439 (2.4 %)
	4	Acute gastroenteritis	355 (2.3 %)	Congestive heart failure	386 (2.1 %)
	5	Congestive heart failure	340 (2.2 %)	Acute gastroenteritis	368 (2.0 %)

Comparisons of the number of admissions, age, sex, and diagnosis prompting the admission during periods before and after the introduction of the modified early warning score system are shown. There were no significant differences in age or sex, and the top diagnoses prompting hospital admission were roughly identical

ISSN: 2052-0492