The Rothman Index accurately identified 54 percent more patients who would die within 24 hours than Modified Early Warning Scores, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Modified Early Warning Scores look mainly at vital signs as indicators of an impending cardiac or pulmonary arrest, while the Rothman Index looks at extra risk factors using data from the electronic health record.
Researchers retrospectively computed early warning scores and Rothman Index scores for over 32,000 patients. In addition to identifying 54 percent more patients who would die in 24 hours, the Rothman Index also signaled 53 percent fewer false alarms.
Researchers suggest pairing electronic health record information with the Rothman Index to allow for a more holistic approach to computing acuity scores, since it factors in more data than just vital signs.
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