IS-047 Making Hospitals Safer For Children: Early Warning Scores And Safe Systems

Abstract

There is increasing evidence highlighting that missed deterioration in hospitalised children is a significant problem with increased risk of mortality and morbidity (Odetola et al 2007). Currently Paediatric Early Warning scoring systems (PEWs) are advocated by (CEMACH 2008, DOH 2012) for use as a safety measure to assist in the identification of seriously ill or deteriorating children, in hospital, so that targeted care can be delivered to prevent serious adverse events. However there is a paucity of evidence to inform the development of such scores, with ad hoc score development based on local consensus opinion or inadequately validated scores. This session will explore the challenges of studying this complex intervention, review evolving evidence, identify gaps in the literature, and make recommendations for future research.