Included and excluded patient cases in the Delphi process
| Patient cases | Round 1 Median score (IQR) | Round 2 Median score (IQR) | Decision |
| Child with asthmatic bronchitis who has responded to treatment with β2-agonists equivalent to adequate saturation (saturation has been adequate all the time) but with a high pulse rate. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 9 (7–9) | Included | |
| Child affected by pain with a high pulse rate. The cause of pain has been clarified. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 5 (2–7) | 6 (3–7) | Included* |
| Child with febrile convulsions seen by a doctor; no suspected sepsis or meningitis and with a constant high pulse rate. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 7 (5–9) | 7 (5–8) | Included† |
| Agitated child; crying/fidgety when staff are present but observed as calm and ‘happy’ when staff are not in the room. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 8 (6–9) | 8 (7–9) | Included |
| Child with cancer who has received Solu-Medrol and afterwards has a high pulse rate. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 3 (1–6) | 3 (1–5) | Excluded* |
| ‘Child active in sports’ with a low pulse rate; the doctor has been made aware of the low pulse rate. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 9 (7–9) | Included | |
| Child who has been clinically stable for a longer period of time and who is stable just below or above a cut-off/threshold in the PEWS score. The score can be lowered by 1 point for the current PEWS parameters (max 2 points in total). | 7 (4–9) | 7 (5–8) | Excluded* |
| Child treated with CPAP who has remained stable for a longer period of time and in this period the child has had stable high parameters. Respiration rate, respiratory work or pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 5 (2–8) | 5 (2–7) | Excluded* |
| Child with a high fever; antibiotic treatment has recently been initiated but has not yet taken sufficient effect. The score for pulse rate and respiration rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 5 (2–8) | 5 (2–7) | Included* |
| Child who is readmitted because the parents are concerned. Maximum lowering by 2 points. | 3 (1–7) | 3 (1–5) | Excluded* |
| Child who is admitted because the parents are concerned. Maximum lowering by 2 points. | 3 (1–7) | 3 (1–5) | Excluded* |
| Child with a high fever with a known focus on fever; the child is well. The score for pulse rate and respiration rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 4 (1–7) | 5 (3–7) | Excluded* |
| Patient with anorexia and a low pulse rate. The score for pulse rate can be lowered (max 2 points). | 5 (1–8) | 5 (2–7) | Excluded* |
| Child with stable diabetes. Maximum lowering by 2 points. | 6 (3–9) | 5 (2–7) | Excluded* |
Non-consensus cases following round 2 were included or excluded due to the predefined criteria outlined in table 2.
*Included/excluded based on predefined criteria 2.
†Included/excluded based on predefined criteria 1.
CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; PEWS, Paediatric Early Warning Score.