Figure 1.

Interaction between clinical deterioration events, PEWS scores, provider emotions, and patient safety. Clinical deterioration events result in elevated PEWS scores. If a PEWS score is elevated acutely, as it may be at the beginning of a deterioration event, clinicians experience emotions such as fear, concern, and discomfort. These emotions may be negative as experienced and described by clinicians; however they often lead to increased patient attention and safety. Conversely, a persistently elevated PEWS score may lead clinicians to experience a false sense of comfort which results in decreased attention and reduced patient safety.