Patterns of modified early warning scores in hospitalized Lassa fever patients: Insights from Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital

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Introduction Modified Early Warning Scores (MEWS) are simple physiological scores to monitor early variations in clinical parameters. It allows for the early detection of clinical deterioration and potential need for higher level of care in admitted patients. Any patient with a total score of 3 and above requires additional medical attention and intervention. There is a paucity of data on the use of MEWS in Lassa fever patients. We describe our observation using baseline MEWS in the nursing care of Lassa fever patients in ISTH Methods This is a retrospective observational study. We analyzed clinical data of Lassa fever patients admitted in ISTH from March 2023 to February 2024. The individual scores for each domain were reported and then summed to generate the total MEWS. Frequencies and percentages of patients across the different domain score levels were calculated. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated for each pair of domains to examine the relationships between them. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 128 patients were monitored. Most patients scored 0 across parameters, except for respiratory rate, where 30% scored 0 and 7% scored 3. For temperature and heart rate, 4.7% and 5.5% scored 3, respectively. Only 8% had a MEWS greater than 5. The median MEWS was 2 (1-3.5). The strongest correlation was between heart rate and level of consciousness, with a Pearson’s coefficient of +0.250 (p = 0.004). Conclusion The low MEWS values in these patients indicated a stable clinical population at admission. While MEWS is effective for early risk stratification, further research should explore its predictive value for treatment outcomes.

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