Preimplementation Staff Education
Early staff education focused on the history and development
of PEWS along with the rationale for and the goals of the initiative. The scoring process was explained
and how it would be integrated into routine nursing
assessments; normal vital sign parameters were reviewed.
CCHMC chose Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing,
7th edition, as the reference for vital sign parameters (see
Figure 4). The staff practiced applying the scoring in
interactive case scenarios. Reviewing case histories
involving patients that the staff had previously cared for
proved to be engaging and an effective teaching
strategy.
In preparation for the implementation of PEWS, a
large white board was posted in a highly visible location
on the unit and nursing staff then began to score patients
every 4 hours based on the PEWS scoring tool to establish
baseline scores of our unit’s stable and acutely ill
population (see Figure 8). The scoring data were captured
electronically from the documentation of nursing’s
patient assessments. Data retrieval was supported by the
hospital’s information systems department.