Assessment of The Relationship of REMS and MEWS Scores with Prognosis in Patients Diagnosed with Covid-19 Admitted to the Emergency Department
Abstract
Aim
With the rapid and global increase in COVID-19 cases, it is becoming important to identify patients with a risk of mortality and patients that need hospitalization. The aim of this study is to try to predict the mortality rate of COVID patients admitted to the emergency department with rapid scoring systems such as REMS and MEWS and their clinical termination in the emergency department at the end of the first month.
Method
We have designed this study to be a single-centered, prospective and an observational study. A total of 392 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, who were admitted to the emergency department in a 1-month period, were included in the study. REMS and MEWS scores were calculated for each case. Demographic data of patients, clinical outcomes such as discharge, service hospitalization, ICU hospitalization, and first-month mortality were analysed based on these scores. ROC curves were analysed to determine the cut-off value with the help of which REMS and MEWS scores can predict 1-month mortality and hospitalization.
Results
Out of the 392 patients included in the study, the 43.4% (n=170) were female and 56.6% (n=222) were male. The average age of our patients was 48.98±19.49 years. The 1-month mortality rate of our patients was 4.3% (n=17). At the end of the first month, the mortality of patients with a comorbid disease was higher than those who did not (p<0.01). The average of the REMS score was higher in patients with an average mortality of (7.24±3.77) than in patients without it (2.87±3.09), and there was a statistically significant difference between them (p<0.01). Similarly, the average of the MEWS score was higher in patients with an average mortality of (2.76±1.86) than in patients without it (1.65±1.35), and there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.01). The REMS score of patients admitted to the service was higher than that of patients discharged (p<0.01). When the REMS score was determined as 3 cut-off value in ROC analysis, service hospitalization was 5 times higher in patients with a REMS score of 3 and above than in those who were discharged (OR: 1:5.022 95% CI: 3.088-8.168)). REMS and MEWS scores were also higher in ICU patients than in discharged patients (p<0.01).
Conclusion
In predicting the 1-month mortality of ER patients diagnosed with COVID-19, REMS and MEWS scoring systems can be useful and guiding in determining the patients who need hospitalization for emergency physicians. The use of these scoring systems in emergency departments can help predict the clinical outcomes of patients at the time of the initial evaluation, and can also be a practical method of predicting the prognosis of the patients.
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