A report of the use of the Dynamic Objective Risk Assessment (DORA) score in the changing pediatric intensive care environment.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the clinical use of the Dynamic Objective Risk Assessment (DORA) severity of illness score in a site remote from its development.


METHODS
Prospective chart review.


METHODS
Tertiary referral pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).


METHODS
One hundred sixty consecutive admissions involving 621 patient days.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) scores were collected daily for all PICU patient days. Collection of data was performed by a physician not directly involved in the ordering of vital signs or laboratory data. The daily DORA score was calculated from the previous day's PRISM score and the admission PRISM score according to a previously described formula. The DORA score determines the patient's risk of mortality for the next 24 hrs. Also documented were the tests not ordered for each patient day. The sensitivity and specificity of the DORA score in our patient population were very similar to that previously reported using the previously described 1% cutoff for predicted mortality. We also noted that the tests ordered were related to the physician's perception of the patient's degree of sickness, and were themselves predictive of outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
An outcome scoring system created in one group of PICUs can be applied to patients in another PICU remote from where the scoring system was developed with similar ability to predict outcome.
Heard
C M
CM
Department of Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital of Buffalo (SUNY), NY, USA.
Fletcher
J E
JE
Papo
M C
MC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis