MEWS

Medical abbreviation · Patient Assessment

MEWS
Stands forModified Early Warning Score
CategoriesMedical

MEWS stands for Modified Early Warning Score, a patient assessment abbreviation.

Bedside score combining vital signs, and in many versions level of consciousness and urine output, into a single number that signals clinical deterioration on general wards. Higher scores trigger closer monitoring or a rapid response call.

Example: MEWS 5 at 0300: RR 26, HR 118, new confusion; RRT activated.

Usage notes

Published by Christian Subbe and colleagues in 2001, with many local variations since. Automated scores calculated by electronic records are increasingly used. A high score should prompt bedside assessment rather than replace clinical judgment.

More patient assessment abbreviations

  • LAD – Lymphadenopathy
  • LLE – Left lower extremity
  • LOC – Level of consciousness
  • LUE – Left upper extremity
  • MAE – Moves all extremities
  • MAEW – Moves all extremities well
  • MMM – Moist mucous membranes
  • NABS – Normoactive bowel sounds
  • NCAT – Normocephalic, atraumatic
  • NEWS2 – National Early Warning Score 2
  • NIBP – Noninvasive blood pressure
  • NRS – Numeric rating scale

See all 65 patient assessment abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.