The prognostic value of national early warning scores (NEWS) during transfer of care from community settings to hospital: a retrospective service evaluation.

Background: The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) calculated from physiological observations provides a simple away to identify and respond to the deteriorating patient. There is increasing interest in the application of NEWS to facilitate referrals from the community.

Aim: To establish whether elevated NEWS are associated with adverse outcomes at 5 and 30 days when obtained in a community setting at the time of transfer to an acute setting.