ArticleBMJ open2021
Experiences of a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) intervention in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acute Deterioration in Long-Term Care: A Delphi Study of Indicators, Care Pathways and Implementation Strategies.International journal of nursing practice · 2026Article
- Use of a digital application to enhance communication and triage between care homes and national health service community services in the United Kingdom: a qualitative evaluation.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Which acute deterioration tools are used in long-term care facilities and how have they been evaluated? A scoping review.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Evaluation of a Telemonitoring System Using Electronic National Early Warning Scores for Patients Receiving Medical Home Care: Pilot Implementation Study.JMIR medical informatics · 2024Article
- Predictors of care home resident conveyance to hospital or referral to community pathways by a regional ambulance service attending medical emergencies: a retrospective cross sectional study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2024Article
- Factors influencing long-term care facility performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Treatment and Care for Nursing Home Residents with COVID-19: A Qualitative Study.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
- Long COVID in long-term care: a rapid realist review.BMJ open · 2023Review
- Feasibility of a placebo-controlled trial of antibiotics for possible urinary tract infection in care homes: a qualitative interview study.BJGP open · 2023Article
- Clinical indicators of acute deterioration in persons who reside in residential aged care facilities: A rapid review.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing · 2023Review
- NEWS and the NHS.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2022Article
- Developing a minimum data set for older adult care homes in the UK: exploring the concept and defining early core principles.The lancet. Healthy longevity · 2022Review
- A study to introduce National Early Warning Scores (NEWS) in care homes: Influence on decision-making and referral processes.Nursing open · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the care home sector, with residents accounting for up to half of all deaths in Europe. The response to acute illness in care homes plays a particularly important role in the care of residents during a pandemic. Digital recording of a National Early Warning Score (NEWS), which involves the measurement of physical observations, started in care homes in one area of England in 2016. Implementation of a NEWS intervention (including equipment, training and support) was accelerated early in the pandemic, despite limited evidence for its use in the care home setting.
objectivesTo understand how a NEWS intervention has been used in care homes in one area of North-East England during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it has influenced resident care, from the perspective of stakeholders involved in care delivery and commissioning.
methodsA qualitative interview study with care home (n=10) and National Health Service (n=7) staff. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
resultsUse of the NEWS intervention in care homes in this area accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stakeholders felt that NEWS, and its associated education and support package, improved the response of care homes and healthcare professionals to deterioration in residents' health during the pandemic. Healthcare professionals valued the ability to remotely monitor resident observations, which facilitated triage and treatment decisions. Care home staff felt empowered by NEWS, providing a common clinical language to communicate concerns with external services, acting as an adjunct to staff intuition of resident deterioration.
conclusionsThe NEWS intervention formed an important part of the care home response to COVID-19 in the study area. Positive staff perceptions now need to be supplemented with data on the impact on resident health and well-being, workload, and service utilisation, during the pandemic and beyond.
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