Does national early warning score (NEWS) predict unplanned readmission after discharge of high care unit?

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether use of a national early warning score (NEWS) prior to transfer may serve as a predictor of unplanned readmission to the ICU. Methods: All patients discharged from our hospital high care unit (HCU) from April 2015 through March 2016 were included for analysis. We investigated patient characteristics, NEWS, and unplanned readmission, using electronic patient records. NEWS was immediately recorded before HCU discharge. Results: Among 775 patients included during the study period, there were 24 (3.1%) unplanned readmissions during their hospitalization. Unplanned readmission to the ICU was associated with a higher NEWS than that for non-readmissions (4 vs. 2; P=0.01). There were more patients with a high NEWS who had unplanned ICU readmission than those who were not readmitted (25% vs. 5.6%; OR 4.28, 95%CI 1.38-13.3; P=0.001), but turned out not to be statistically different [AUC (area under the curve) 0.653]. Conclusions: NEWS at HCU discharge can be a useful tool for predicting unplanned readmission.