PEWS
Also written as: PEWS — Pediatric Early Warning Score
Pediatric Early Warning Score system used to identify clinical deterioration in hospitalized children through standardized vital sign assessment.
Full Definition
The Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) is a systematic tool designed to detect early signs of clinical deterioration in pediatric patients by scoring abnormal vital signs, respiratory effort, and neurological status. Each parameter receives a score from 0-3, with higher scores indicating greater deviation from normal. PEWS helps healthcare providers identify children at risk for cardiopulmonary arrest or need for intensive care. In pediatric anesthesia, PEWS may be used in recovery areas and during post-anesthetic monitoring to systematically assess patient stability and guide escalation of care decisions.
Usage
Usage note: Always use uppercase for the acronym; spell out on first use in formal documents.
In Context
- "The PACU nurse calculated a PEWS of 4, prompting immediate physician notification." — Recovery documentation
- "Hospital policy requires PEWS assessment every 4 hours for all pediatric surgical patients." — Hospital protocol