title: Validation of the VitalPAC™ Early Warning Score (ViEWS) in acutely ill medical patients attending a resource-poor hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The VitalPAC™ Early Warning Score (ViEWS) has an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) for death of acute unselected medical patients within 24h of 88% and the UK National Early Warning Scores is based on it. The score's discrimination has been validated on patients in the developed world, but nothing is known of its performance in resource-poor hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  ViEWS was validated in 844 acutely ill medical patients admitted to Kitovu Hospital, Masaka, Uganda.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AUROC for death within 24h of admission was 88.6% (95% CI 82.5-94.7%). The inability to walk without help was found to be an additional independent predictor of in-hospital mortality, and ViEWS modified to include it had an AUROC for death within 24h of 91.9% (95% CI 86.5-97.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The discrimination of ViEWS in a resource poor sub-Saharan Africa hospital is the same as in the developed world. Inability to walk without help was found to be an additional independent predictor of mortality.
authors: St. Joseph's Kitovu Health Care Complex, Masaka, Uganda.
authors: Martin Otyek
authors: MO
authors: Opio
authors: Gertrude
authors: G
authors: Nansubuga
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Kellett
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D019540:Area Under Curve; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014454:Uganda