Table 3.
Association between clinical outcomes with pretransfer modified early warning score (MEWS) threshold of ≥4
| Outcomes, % (n) | MEWS<4, n=301 | MEWS≥4, n=38 | OR* (95% CI) | p Value |
| In-hospital mortality | 3.0 (9) | 26.2 (10) | 11.6 (4.4 to 30.9) | <0.001 |
| ICU admission | 47.2 (142) | 73.7 (28) | 3.1 (1.5 to 6.7) | 0.003 |
| Surgical procedure | 34.2 (103) | 44.7 (17) | 1.6 (0.8 to 3.1) | 0.20 |
| Air transport, interfacility | 15.6 (47) | 42.1 (16) | 3.9 (1.9 to 8.0) | <0.001 |
| MEWS deterioration | 21.0 (57) | 17.1 (6) | 0.7 (0.3 to 1.7) | 0.43 |
| Secondary overtriage | 21.9 (66) | 18.4 (7) | 0.8 (0.3 to 1.9) | 0.62 |
| Severe injury (ISS≥16) | 27.2 (81) | 59.5 (22) | 3.9 (1.9 to 8.0) | <0.001 |
*Odds ratio for MEWS ≥4 versus MEWS <4, analysed with univariate logistic regression.
ICU, intensive care unit; ISS, injury severity score. Secondary overtriage: ISS <10, hospital LOS<1 day and discharged home.