‘Errors’ and omissions in paper-based early warning scores: the association with changes in vital signs—a database analysis

ObjectivesTo understand factors associated with errors using an established paper-based early warning score (EWS) system. We investigated the types of error, where they are most likely to occur, and whether ‘errors’ can predict subsequent changes in patient vital signs.MethodsRetrospective analysis of prospectively collected early warning system database from a single large UK teaching hospital.Results16 795 observation sets, from 200 postsurgical patients, were collected. Incomplete observation sets were more likely to contain observations which should have led to an alert than complete observation sets (15.1% vs 7.6%, p