ArticleBMC nursing2026
Seeing beyond the obvious: knowledge and self-reported practices of nurses in identifying early warning signs of critical illness among adult patients in general wards-a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNurses play a crucial role in preventing deterioration-related morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. This study assessed nurses' knowledge and reported practices of identifying early warning signs of critical illness among adult patients in general wards and contextual factors that influence these practices.
methodsAn analytical cross-sectional study involving general ward nurses was conducted in three tertiary referral hospitals. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 235 randomly selected participants. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive statistics and inferential tests, including independent sample t-test and ANOVA, were used to examine associations between knowledge and demographic/workplace factors.
resultsKnowledge of early warning signs was low (mean = 41.5%, SD = 10.41). Scores were significantly higher among bachelor's-prepared nurses and those working at the national referral hospital (p = 0.007; p = 0.003, respectively). Nurses mainly identified deterioration using vital signs, monitoring, and response to deterioration practices varied, and resource availability was inconsistently perceived. Heavy workload, inadequate training, and resource constraints were common barriers despite generally positive self-ratings of ward practices. Job satisfaction was the only significant independent predictor of knowledge (B = 2.847, p = 0.006). Other variables were not significant. The model explained 6.4% of the variance (R
conclusionsDespite nurses' positive reported practices in identifying patient deterioration, nurses' overall knowledge of early warning signs of critical illness was low. Staff training, protocol standardization, and resource enhancement are essential to enhance nurses' ability to recognize and respond effectively to early signs of deterioration and critical illness. Given the limited awareness and utilization of structured early warning systems identified in this study, there is a need for training, contextual adaptation, and phased implementation of standardized tools such as National Early Warning Score (NEWS). CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.