NEWS2 (National Early Warning Score 2)
Air or oxygen
Consciousness
Confusion scores only when it is new — established confusion or dementia does not score here.
Enter all six observations to see the score.
A red score — 3 in any single parameter — triggers urgent review even when the aggregate is low, so a patient scoring 3 overall on one deranged observation is escalated ahead of one scoring 4 spread across four.
NEWS2 is not validated in pregnancy, in children, or in spinal cord injury, where the normal physiological ranges differ. Use an obstetric or paediatric early warning score instead.
It is a track-and-trigger tool for detecting deterioration, not a diagnosis and not a substitute for clinical judgement — escalate a patient who worries you regardless of the number.