An Evaluation of the Triage Early Warning Score in an Urban Accident and Emergency Department in KwaZulu-Natal
S. Afr. fam. pract. (2004, Online)
;
56(1): 69-73, 2014.
Article
in English
| AIM
| ID: biblio-1270053
RESUMO
Objective:
Triage is an essential first step in the efficient and effective running of any emergency department. A good triage tool saves lives and reduces mortality. The Triage Early Warning Score (TEWS) is a useful tool used to identify patients in emergency departments who are at risk of deterioration and who may require admission. As this triage tool has only been evaluated to a limited extent; this study assessed its effectiveness in identifying patients at risk of early deterioration to enable timely medical intervention.Design andsetting:
This was a retrospective study of medical records within the accident and emergency department of an urban public hospital. Outcomemeasures:
The calculated TEWS was compared to one of four possible outcomes viz. discharge within 24 hours; admission to the ward; admission to the intensive care unit (ICU); or death in hospital. Pearson's chi-squared tests and cross-tabulation was used to determine the statistical significance of the association.Results:
Of the 265 patient records analysed; 233 (87.9) had a TEWS of 7. Of patients with a TEWS of 7; 53.7were discharged; compared to 18.7with a score ? 7; who were discharged. The average score of the four patients who died was 9.5; and 8.2 for the three admitted to ICU. Higher TEWS were significantly associated with increased admission to hospital and in-hospital deaths (p-value 0.032).Conclusion:
An effective triage scoring system ensures that those requiring emergency care are appropriately categorised. Prompt intervention will either reverse further physiological decline or facilitate timely referral to the appropriate service level; including ICU
Full text:
Available
Index:
AIM (Africa)
Main subject:
Quality of Health Care
/
Triage
/
Evaluation Study
/
Hospitals
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Risk factors
Language:
English
Journal:
S. Afr. fam. pract. (2004, Online)
Year:
2014
Type:
Article
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