The UPMC-ePAWSS Score: EHR-Derived Risk Assessment to Improve Early Clinical Management of Severe Alcohol Withdrawal

Project Owner

Timothy D. Girard, MD, MSCI

Proposed Innovation

Alcohol use disorder is a leading, but often underrecognized, cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. Between 2% and 6% of hospitalized adults develop severe alcohol withdrawal. This life-threatening condition can lead to seizures, delirium, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, prolonged hospitalization, and increased health care costs.

The project will develop and validate the UPMC-ePAWSS (Prediction of Alcohol Withdrawal Severity Scale) score. This digital risk assessment tool will use existing electronic health record (EHR) data to identify hospitalized patients at high risk for severe alcohol withdrawal.

Improvements in Action

Researchers will use physiologic, laboratory, and clinical data collected during routine hospital care to create and validate the UPMC-ePAWSS score. The tool is designed to identify patients at risk for severe alcohol withdrawal before life-threatening symptoms occur.

Once validated, the score will help providers recognize high-risk patients earlier, supporting earlier monitoring, evidence-based treatment, and consultation with addiction medicine, toxicology, or critical care specialists when appropriate.

Intended Outcomes

The project is expected to improve early recognition and treatment of severe alcohol withdrawal, and reduce ICU transfers, length of hospitalization, and preventable complications. If successful, the UPMC-ePAWSS score could offer a scalable model to improve the quality of care of hospitalized patients at risk for severe alcohol withdrawal across the UPMC health system.