A Study on Proactive Rounding by Rapid Response Team Nurses Using NEWS : Focused on Patients Discharged from the Intensive Care Units

Purpose : This study aimed to examine the clinical progress of patients discharged from intensive care units (ICU) according to the method of proactive rounding, based on clinical decision-making or the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), and to identify the factors influencing their clinical progress. Methods : A total of 627 patients discharged from ICUs were included in this study. Data were collected from electronic medical records following a comprehensive literature review and analyzed using t-tests, χ2-tests, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression. Results : The likelihood of ICU readmission was significantly lower when proactive rounding was conducted using the NEWS compared with clinical decision-making (OR=0.40, p =.036). In addition, increases in oxygen demand were significantly reduced when rounding was guided by NEWS rather than the clinical judgment of the Rapid Response Team (OR=0.26, p =.009). Conclusion : These findings suggest that proactive rounding conducted by the Rapid Response Team based on NEWS significantly reduced ICU readmission rates and oxygen demand. Therefore, NEWS-based proactive rounding by nurses may help predict and detect clinical deterioration at an early stage.