The Introduction of an Integrated Early Warning Score Observation Chart–A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Previous studies have demonstrated that abnormal physiological observations are often recorded on patients’ observation charts but not acted on, with ensuing negative consequences. To address this issue within our hospital, traditional charts with a graphic depiction of observations were replaced with new charts combining early warning scores (EWS) with numerically depicted observations. However, the replacement did not include a graphic display of observations in the form of trend graphs. The present study compared the speed and accuracy of data interpretation between the 2 charts.