A Simplified Set of Trauma Triage Criteria to Safely Reduce Overtriage

Abstract

Using a simplified triage system can safely reduce the rate of overtriage. This could conserve resources, reduce mistriage from misunderstood guidelines, and improve specificity by including only those variables with high predictive value.

Evaluating the accuracy of emergency nurses in correct triage using emergency severity index triage in Sina hospital of Tabriz: a cross-sectional analysis

“…To reduce overtriage, it is recommended to use a simple and functional triage system (11). EDs' managers need accurate information to improve the quality of triage and reduce errors to ensure correct implementation of triage and identify nurses' needs and gaps in training (3).…”

“…The second questionnaire, ESI, is a five-level ED triage algorithm that provides clinically relevant stratification of patients into five groups from 1 (most urgent) to 5 (least urgent) on the basis of acuity and resource needs. The ESI is unique among triage tools, by including both acuity and resource needs in the system of categorizing ED patients (11,12). This standard and national index is used by emergency team in all EDs of hospitals in Iran.…”

Portable ultrasound in disaster triage: a focused review

“…As noted in our previous discussion, MCIs are inherently difficult to study and the ability to determine under-and overtriage rates may be very limited at best [94]. Previously reported data suggest 7-12 % rates for overtriage and 4-15 % rates for undertriage [95,96]. Investigations of simulated MCIs have shown rates of 16 and 24 %, respectively [86].…”

Ethics of Conservation Triage

“…To achieve optimal delivery of care and to maximize patient safety, triage processes in emergency medicine seek to minimize under-triage (to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality) while keeping over-triage low (to enhance efficiency; Uleberg et al, 2007;Lehmann et al, 2009;Xiang et al, 2014;Shawhan et al, 2015). The temptation to over-triage is often exaggerated when long wait times may result in increased harm (Aacharya et al, 2011), if there is emotional involvement or high possibility of litigation (Pou, 2013), or if there is institutional or financial incentive to do so (FitzGerald et al, 2010).…”