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A Method for Reviewing the Accuracy and Reliability of a Five-Level Triage Process (Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale) in a Community Emergency Department Setting : Building the Crowding Measurement Infrastructure
Joint Authors
Atkinson, Paul R. T.
Howlett, Michael K.
Source
Emergency Medicine International
Issue
Vol. 2012, Issue 2012 (31 Dec. 2012), pp.1-5, 5 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2012-01-11
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
5
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Objectives.
Triage data are widely used to evaluate patient flow, disease severity, and emergency department (ED) workload, factors used in ED crowding evaluation and management.
We defined an indicator-based methodology that can be easily used to review the accuracy of Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) performance.
Methods.
A trained nurse reviewer (NR) retrospectively triaged two separate month’s ED charts relative to a set of clinical indicators based on CTAS Chief Complaints.
Interobserver reliability and accuracy were compared using Kappa and comparative statistics.
Results.
There were 2838 patients in Trial 1 and 3091 in Trial 2.
The rate of inconsistent triage was 14% and 16% (Kappa 0.596 and 0.604).
Clinical Indicators “pain scale, chest pain, musculoskeletal injury, respiratory illness, and headache” captured 68% and 62% of visits.
Conclusions.
We have demonstrated a system to measure the levels of process accuracy and reliability for triage over time.
We identified five key clinical indicators which captured over 60% of visits.
A simple method for quality review uses a small set of indicators, capturing a majority of cases.
Performance consistency and data collection using indicators may be important areas to direct training efforts.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Howlett, Michael K.& Atkinson, Paul R. T.. 2012. A Method for Reviewing the Accuracy and Reliability of a Five-Level Triage Process (Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale) in a Community Emergency Department Setting : Building the Crowding Measurement Infrastructure. Emergency Medicine International،Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-487014
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Howlett, Michael K.& Atkinson, Paul R. T.. A Method for Reviewing the Accuracy and Reliability of a Five-Level Triage Process (Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale) in a Community Emergency Department Setting : Building the Crowding Measurement Infrastructure. Emergency Medicine International No. 2012 (2012), pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-487014
American Medical Association (AMA)
Howlett, Michael K.& Atkinson, Paul R. T.. A Method for Reviewing the Accuracy and Reliability of a Five-Level Triage Process (Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale) in a Community Emergency Department Setting : Building the Crowding Measurement Infrastructure. Emergency Medicine International. 2012. Vol. 2012, no. 2012, pp.1-5.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-487014
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-487014