Utilising national early warning score as a track and trigger mechanism in hospital-at-home care for acutely ill patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The UK healthcare system faces challenges due to an ageing population and chronic bed shortages. An acute hospital-at-home (HaH) model of care can offer an alternative for acutely ill patients requiring hospital admission. However, monitoring thesepatients at home presents its own challenges. We used the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) for patients admitted to a HaH to identify deteriorating patients and ensure safe and timely transfer back to hospital when needed.

Design

Retrospective observational cohort study of patients with selected medical conditions admitted to acute HaH, from an NHS district hospital, between 2014 and 2017.

Results

Of the 502 patients admitted to HaH, 443 (88.2%) were successfully treated and discharged, 1 patient died at HaH (a

SUBMITTER: Younes YR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12743804 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature