Scores & indices
NEWS2 calculator
Seven observations, one number, and exactly what to do with it — review urgency and observation frequency per the Royal College of Physicians.
How to read the result
NEWS2 falls into these published bands.
A breathless patient: raised respiratory rate, borderline saturations on oxygen, low blood pressure, and tachycardia.
NEWS2 10 — high risk: emergency response
Emergency assessment by a team with critical-care competencies, continuous monitoring, and a low threshold for higher care.
Who this is for
For ward and emergency staff tracking acute deterioration. NEWS2 standardises the response to illness severity: each vital sign is banded, the total maps to an escalation tier, and the tier sets the observation interval — from 12-hourly at 0 to continuous emergency response at 7 or more. In Paracelsus the score also drives per-patient observation timers and deterioration alerts.
How it works
What it calculates
The Royal College of Physicians' National Early Warning Score 2 — seven physiological parameters banded into a single score that standardises the detection of, and response to, acute deterioration.
Interpreting the result
0: routine 12-hourly observations. 1–4: 4–6 hourly observations and nurse review. 5–6 or any single parameter scoring 3: urgent clinician review and hourly observations. 7 or more: emergency response with critical-care competencies.
Worth remembering
Use the SpO₂ scale 2 only in confirmed hypercapnic respiratory failure, on senior instruction. The trend matters more than any single score — a rising NEWS2 is a call to the bedside.
Built on published evidence
- Royal College of Physicians, NEWS2 (2017)
Codification last reviewed 2026-08-28, and checked against published reference values in automated tests on every release — see the full evidence ledger.
Questions clinicians ask
When do I use the SpO₂ scale 2?
Only in confirmed hypercapnic respiratory failure, on a senior clinician's instruction — using it by default under-scores hypoxia in everyone else. The tool keeps scale 1 as the default for exactly that reason.
What does a single parameter scoring 3 mean?
Even with a low total, any single vital sign in its extreme band mandates urgent review and minimum hourly observations per the RCP matrix — severe derangement in one system should never be averaged away.
Why does the trend matter more than the number?
A NEWS2 rising from 3 to 6 signals deterioration a static 6 does not. Paracelsus keeps each patient's reading history and flags rising scores for reassessment automatically.
Related calculators
One calculator is the door. The ward is the house.
Every result can land on a patient card. Paracelsus follows your whole ward — guided work-ups, trends, observation timers, and a one-tap handover — free, offline, with no patient data ever leaving your device.
Open ParacelsusInformation tool for healthcare professionals — not medical advice. Terms of use