The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and COMPASS education programme is a work

stream of the Acute Medicine Programme and focuses on:

• Categorization of patients’ SEVERITY of illness

• EARLY detection of patient deterioration

• Use of a structured COMMUNICATION tool (ISBAR)

• Promote an early medical review, prompted by specific TRIGGER points

• Use a definitive ESCALATION plan

The National Early Warning Score adopted the VitalPAC Early Warning Score (ViEWS)
vital sign parameters with the kind permission of Professor Gary Smith (UK). ViEWS has
been validated for use on both medical and surgical adult patients in acute hospital services.

The COMPASS Education programme is an interdisciplinary education programme

designed to enhance our health care professionals’ understanding of patients who are
clinically deteriorating and the significance of altered clinical observations. It also seeks to
improve communication between healthcare professionals, while adopting a patient-centred
quality driven approach, and enhancing the timely management of patients.

The programme incorporates education on the use of the National Early Warning Score.

The COMPASS Education Programme

The COMPASS Education programme has three phases:

1. The education manual and CD must be worked through independently.

2. The paper based Quiz must be completed.

3. A mandatory face to face session must be attended.

COMPASS Training Manual

The training manual is in A4 format with information on physiology, communication, team

work, management plans etc and incorporates the National Early Warning Score using
ViEWS parameters.

Interactive CD

The interactive CD takes participants through a case of a deteriorating patient and explains
changes in vital signs for that patient. There is a voice-over on the CD. Your computer
needs to be equipped to accommodate this, however, the voice-over is not essential to work
through the CD. You will need flash media player software on your machine to get the full
benefit.
The last slide of the CD advises you to go online and complete a quiz. This is a paper based
quiz and to access follow the link below. You must complete this quiz and bring with you on
the day of your face to face education programme.

Amendments to the Compass CD for measurements as follows:

Blood Measurements: Hb 120 g/l = 12.0 g/dl, HB 60 g/l = 6.0 g/dl, PO2 159 mm Hg = 21 k
Pa, PCO2 40 mmHg = 5.3 kPa.

Quiz Questions

The paper quiz requires you to answer 10 questions. You must complete this quiz and bring
with you on the day of your face to face education programme.

The following gives more information on NEWS -

http://www.hse.ie/eng/about/Who/clinical/natclinprog/acutemedicineprogramme/earlywarnin
gscore/