https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2024.11904
Is it possible to safely increase the number of patients classified as non-urgent in triage? A prospective observational study
Submitted: 2 October 2023
Accepted: 11 December 2023
Published: 19 January 2024
Accepted: 11 December 2023
Abstract Views: 1462
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Authors
Triage systems, calibrated to discriminate acute conditions, seem unable to deal with minor non-urgent conditions. The aim of the present study to verify whether some level 4 priority codes can be safely declassified to level 5 priority codes. A prospective observational study was performed between 1° October 2022 to 31° March 2023. All patients with a code 5 according to the Manchester Triage System (MTS) were compared with patients with a priority level 4 code but with a general indicator that was downgraded to a code 5 after the triage nurse's assessment. Of the 2032 patients enrolled, 58.6% were part of the 'blue from MTS' group while 41.4% were part of the 'blue after re-evaluation' group. There was no statistical difference in the rate of hospitalisation and discharge between the two groups (p=0.928). There was also no difference between the two groups in the comparisons of short- and medium-term death. This study highlights the need to rethink strategies to declassify patients through MTS, especially given the continuous increase of non-urgent patients presenting in the ED.
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How to Cite
Zaboli, A., Sibilio, S., Mian, M., Brigo, F., & Turcato, G. (2024). Is it possible to safely increase the number of patients classified as non-urgent in triage? A prospective observational study. Emergency Care Journal, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ecj.2024.11904
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