HeyNursing PartnersLet's Talk About This Patient Assessment "Magic Tool"
To be honestover the years I’ve worked as a nursethe most painful part has been remembering so many things during every bedside assessment — the NEWS2 scorethe Morse fall riskthe Braden pressure ulcer assessmentand the PQRST pain evaluationEach tool is greatbut can’t we have an all-in-one solution? WellI actually found it! It's the Patient Assessment Toola Skills package integrating four core assessment toolsJust input natural languageand it returns scores and recommendations — absolutely amazing!
Let’s see what it can doFirst up is NEWS2the National Early Warning Scoreused to quickly identify patients at risk of deteriorationYou just need to provide the heart rateblood pressurerespiratory ratetemperatureoxygen saturationconsciousness leveland whether the patient is receiving supplemental oxygenIt automatically calculates the total score and tells you whether the patient requires "routine monitoring," "ward-level response," "urgent response," or "critical response." For exampleif a patient has a heart rate of 115respiratory rate of 26blood pressure 95/60oxygen saturation 91% on O2temperature 38.5°Cand only responds to voicethe NEWS2 score would be around 16directly triggering the "critical" levelrecommending continuous monitoringcalling the rapid response teamand considering ICU transfer — all evidence-based!
Next is the Morse Fall Risk Assessmentwhich is crucial for geriatric wardsIt evaluates factors such as fall historygaitassistive devicesIV therapyand mental statusclassifying risk as low (0–24)moderate (25–44)or high (≥45)I remember a 72-year-old man admitted with a history of fallsusing a walkerunstable gaitand an IV lineHis Morse score was 85clearly high riskThe tool automatically recommends comprehensive fall prevention measures: bed alarmsconsidering one-on-one supervisionhourly roundinglow bed with floor matsmedication reviewand physical therapy consultation — a comprehensive set of actions that can truly prevent many accidents.
Third is the Braden Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessmentessential for ICU and long-term bedridden patientsIt scores six dimensions: sensory perceptionmoistureactivitymobilitynutritionand friction/shearwith a total score ranging from 6 to 23The lower the scorethe higher the riskFor examplea sedatedimmobilemechanically ventilated patient may have a Braden score of only 9 (very high risk)The tool suggests turning every 1–2 hoursusing a high-level pressure-reducing mattressconsulting a wound care nurseand elevating the heels — all core measures from pressure ulcer prevention guidelines.
Finallythe PQRST Pain Assessment is a powerhouse for postoperative pain managementYou simply input the pain score (e.g7/10)location (e.gright lower quadrant)quality (e.gsharp with cramping)onset (e.g3 hours ago)duration (continuous with paroxysmal exacerbation)aggravating factors (e.gmovementcoughing)and relieving factors (e.glying stillice pack)The tool automatically classifies it as "severe pain" and recommends immediate administration of analgesicsnotifying the physicianreassessment in 15–30 minutesand non-pharmacological measures such as repositioningice packdeep breathingand distraction.
How Does It Actually Work? The Pitfalls I Encountered
Wellto be honestI was a bit skeptical the first time I used it: Could it really be accurate? I tried inputting data from a real caseand the NEWS2 response level matched exactly what I manually calculated! And the recommendations were especially detailedsuch as "continuous monitoring frequency: record every 5 minutes until stable," which was more comprehensive than what I usually wroteThe Morse score also gave 85and it came with a complete intervention checklist — I instantly felt my previous nursing plans were too rough.
But there are a few pitfalls: the input format must strictly follow the examplese.g"Calculate NEWS2 score: heart rate 115systolic BP 95diastolic BP 60respiratory rate 26temperature 38.5 CSpO2 91%consciousness V (responds to voice)supplemental O2 yes." If you omit "supplemental O2" or use Chinese punctuationit may parse incorrectlySo I recommend copying the example and then replacing with your own dataAlsofor the pain assessmentif you don't describe the quality clearly (e.g"sharp and cramping")the tool may give a vague recommendationso try to be as detailed as possible.
Installation Steps – Super Simple
This skill is based on the Skills protocoland installation requires just one command: npx skills add Open-Medica/open-medical-skills --skill patient-assessment-toolYou need Node.js and npx installed on your computer (newer versions of Node come with npx)After running thisthe files will be downloaded locallyYou can then use it on platforms that support Skillssuch asIf you prefer more controlyou can also download the ZIP package from the GitHub repositoryextract itand view the source code in script.py and skill.pyeven modify the logic yourself.
Furthermorethis tool is open-source (MIT license)so you can freely modify and distribute itBut note that it is classified as a "safety tool"; the author emphasizes that it cannot replace clinical judgmentand all critical findings must be reported to the physicianAfter allmachines are just aids – the nurse's decision-making is the core.
Clinical Scenario Examples – Quickly Understand How to Use It
Rapid Detection of Deterioration: In a general warda nurse discovers a patient
