A combination of the Modified Early Warning Score and the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale as a triage tool in patients with infection

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the utility of the Korean Modified Early Warning Score (KMEWS), which combines the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS), as a triage tool to screen for infection in patients who visit the emergency department. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data extracted from electronic medical records. Patients aged ≥18 years with an infection who were admitted to the hospital via the emergency department between January 2018 and December 2019 were eligible for inclusion. The KMEWS score was calculated as the sum of the KTAS level and the MEWS score. We generated receiver operating characteristic curves and determined the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the KMEWS, KTAS, MEWS, and Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) scales. The primary outcome was septic shock, and secondary outcomes were intensive care unit admission and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The AUC values (95% confidence interval) for predicting septic shock were as follows: KMEWS, 0.910 (0.902–0.918); MEWS, 0.896 (0.887–0.904); KTAS score, 0.809 (0.798–0.819); and MEDS, 0.927 (0.919–0.934). The AUC values (95% confidence interval) for predicting in-hospital mortality were as follows: KMEWS, 0.752 (0.740–0.764); MEWS, 0.717 (0.704–0.729); KTAS score, 0.764 (0.752–0.776); and MEDS, 0.844 (0.834–0.854). The AUC values (95% confidence interval) for predicting intensive care unit admission were as follows: KMEWS, 0.826 (0.816–0.837); MEWS, 0.782 (0.770–0.793); KTAS score, 0.821 (0.810–0.831); and MEDS, 0.839 (0.829–0.849). CONCLUSION: The KMEWS, which is a combination of the MEWS and the KTAS scores, might be a useful triage tool in emergency department patients who present with infection, particularly for predicting septic shock.