Does a Bedside Pediatric Early Warning System Reduce Mortality?

Randomized trial data suggest a hospital-level reduction in late ICU transfers but not all-cause mortality.

Many children's hospitals have instituted bedside pediatric early warning systems (BPEWSs) and rapid response teams in order to accelerate care and reduce urgent or delayed transfers to an intensive care unit (ICU). To evaluate the effectiveness of a BPEWS, researchers randomized 21 pediatric hospitals with in-house physician coverage and a pediatric ICU to receive a BPEWS intervention or provide usual care to hospitalized infants (gestational age ≥37 weeks), children, and adolescents (up to age 18 years). They compared mortality and significant clinical deterioration events with late ICU admission between 10 intervention hospitals and 11 usual-care hospitals. The BPEWS assessed respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, transcutaneous oxyg…

Reviewing Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

Does a Bedside Pediatric Early Warning System Reduce Mortality?

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Reviewing Author