Early Warning Scores and Their Application in the Inpatient Oncology Settings

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Oncology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Early Warning Score (EWS) systems identify deteriorating patients using vital sign changes.
• While widely used, EWS application in oncology settings is limited.
• Oncology patients are often complex, increasing risks of morbidity and mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the application and limitations of Early Warning Scores in the oncology setting.
• To identify common EWS tools and their validation in cancer patient populations.
• To highlight gaps in current research for improving EWS utility in oncology.

Main Methods:

• Literature search of PubMed and Scopus (1997-2020) for EWS in oncology.
• Analysis of seven relevant studies identified.
• Focus on EWS validation, common scores, and study methodologies.

Main Results:

• The Modified Early Warning Score was most commonly used.
• Only two of seven studies included prospective validation.
• Most studies were retrospective, with small sample sizes and single-institution data.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence for EWS in oncology is largely retrospective and limited.
• Further prospective studies are needed to validate EWS in cancer patients.
• Future research should explore dynamic score changes and resource utilization.