Staff Evaluation of the
PEWS Implementation
Nursing staff and house officers were surveyed to gather
their feedback and level of satisfaction about using PEWS
and its impact on patient care. There was a 29% response
rate from the nursing staff and a 36% response rate from the
residents that were surveyed. The feedback from the staff
that responded to the survey was primarily positive (Figures
10 and 11), citing that the PEWS scoring process improved
communication among multidisciplinary team members and
defined clear actions for new, less experienced staff members
to address patient clinical deterioration. For patients that
had the potential for rapid deterioration, elevated PEWS
scores facilitated the timely arrival of appropriate staff to the
bedside for further evaluation and intervention.
Staff and the charge nurses found it helpful to glance
at the board throughout the shift and determine if another
staff member might need assistance with their patient
assignment. Because the Implementation Team could not
be on the unit around the clock and 7 days a week, a high
level of charge nurse involvement helped keep the initiative
“alive” shift-to-shift and on weekends. Positive
feedback from the multidisciplinary team about instantly
being able to determine which patients were most ill by
viewing the PEWS scoring board served as early validation
of the benefits of the initiative.