The Use of the Initial National Early Warning Score 2 at the Emergency Department as a Predictive Tool of In-Hospital Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients

Background The diagnosis of sepsis in the emergency department (ED) is difficult due to the ambiguous nature of its expression and its non-specific symptoms. Multiple scoring tools have been utilized to detect the severity and prognosis of sepsis. This study aimed to evaluate the use of the initial National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS-2) at the ED as a predictive tool of in-hospital mortality in hemodialysis patients. Methodology We performed a retrospective, observational study to review the records of hemodialysis patients admitted to King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh with suspected sepsis from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2019 using a convenient sampling technique. Results The results showed that NEWS-2 had a higher sensitivity in predicting sepsis compared to the Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) (16.28% vs. 11.54%). However, qSOFA had a higher specificity in predicting sepsis compared to the NEWS-2 scoring system (81.16% vs. 74.14%). It was found that the NEWS-2 scoring system was more sensitive in predicting mortality compared to qSOFA (26% vs. 20%). However, qSOFA was more specific in predicting mortality compared to NEWS-2 (88.50% vs. 82.98%). Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that the initial NEWS-2 is a subpar screening tool for sepsis and in-hospital mortality in hemodialysis patients. The use of qSOFA at the time of ED presentation was found to have a relatively higher specificity in predicting sepsis and mortality when compared to NEWS-2. To assess the application of the initial NEWS-2 in the ED setting, additional research should be conducted.