The National Early Warning Score Outperforms the qSOFA

The current definition of sepsis (Sepsis-3) encouraged use of a new tool — the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) — to identify patients at risk for a bad outcome. The qSOFA has been criticized because it has poor sensitivity across medical settings and is not specific for infection. Enter the Early Warning Scores (EWS), which are already calculated in many electronic health records in the U.S. and U.K. to signal risk of adverse outcomes. The qSOFA uses three binary variables (altered mental status [Glasgow Coma Scale score <15], respiratory rate ≥22 breaths per minute, systolic blood pressure [BP] ≤100 mm Hg), the U.K.'s National EWS (NEWS) is based on seven vital signs and mental status variables, and the abbreviated Quick …