A Cognitive Model for Emergency Management in Hospitals: Proposal of a Triage Severity Index

Abstract

Hospitals play a critical role in providing communities with essential medical care during all types of disasters. Any accident that damages systems or people often requires a multifunctional response and recovery effort. Without an appropriate emergency planning, it is impossible to provide good care during a critical event. In fact, during a disaster condition, the same "critical" severity could occur for patients. Thus, it is essential to categorize and to prioritize patients with the aim to provide the best care to as many patients as possible with the available resources. Triage assesses the severity of patients to give an order of medical visit. The purpose of the present research is to develop a hybrid algorithm, called triage algorithm for emergency management (TAEM). The goal is twofold: First, to assess the priority of treatment; second, to assess in which hospital it is preferable to conduct patients. The triage models proposed in the literature are qualitative. The proposed algorithm aims to cover this gap. The model presented exceeds the limits of literature by developing a quantitative algorithm, which performs a numerical index. The hybrid model is implemented in a real scenario concerning the accident management in a petrochemical plant.

Analysis of Functional Layout in Emergency Departments (ED). Shedding Light on the Free Standing Emergency Department (FSED) Model

“…Certainly, it is vital, as it contributes to the interior's quality, a sense of satisfaction, comfort, and well-being. For example, an algorithm (TAEM, triage algorithm for emergency management) has been made by Frascio et al in order to easily determine which ED is more suitable to host different injured patients, using a multicriteria assessment method [31]. Such approaches allow the avoidance of long lines and long waits in emergency rooms in case of serious emergency situations, in which there are many injured.…”