Our
Triage process follows international guidelines. Priority is given to
patients based on the seriousness of the illnesses or injuries. The
patient will be given either immediate medical attention or be asked to
register at the Registration Counter and remain in the waiting area
until called. A patient’s medical emergency is initially assessed at the
Triage Counter, by measuring the vital signs and recording any
complaints. All patients are categorized using the Emergency Severity
Index (ESI) 4.0 adapted from the Agency for Health Care Research and
Quality (AHRQ). A brief description of the five categories or levels of
triage for emergency patients is as follows:
PRIORITY LEVEL 1: LIFE THREATENING: Patients
in this category require immediate attention with maximal utilization
of resources to prevent loss of life, limb or eyesight.
PRIORITY LEVEL 2: CRITICAL:
Patients in this category should be seen by a physician within 15
minutes because of high risk for rapid deterioration, loss of life, limb
or eyesight if treatment or interventions are delayed.
PRIORITY LEVEL 3: URGENT: Patients
who develop a sudden illness or injury within 24 to 48 hours. Symptoms
and risk factors for serious disease do not indicate a likelihood of
rapid deterioration in the near future. (Reassessment within 60
minutes).
PRIORITY LEVEL 4: NON URGENT: Patients
with chronic complaints, medical maintenance, or medical conditions
posing no threat to loss of life, limb or eyesight. (Reassessment within
120 minutes).
PRIORITY LEVEL 5: WALK IN: Patients
in this category are stable and require no resources such as laboratory
tests or x-rays. (Reassessment within 180 minutes).
The
aim of triaging patients is to ensure that every patient coming to
emergency services is getting the right care at the right place and at
the right time.
All
patients categorized as priority level 1, will be immediately taken to
the resuscitation room. All patients categorized as priority level 2,
will be taken to the critical area (front area) where they will be
closely monitored. When a bed is unavailable in the critical area
patients may be asked to wait and they are reassessed at triage after 15
minutes. When a bed is unavailable for patients categorized as priority
level 3, they will be advised to wait in the waiting area and are
reassessed every 60 minutes. During every reassessment at triage, the
patient’s prioritization will be reviewed and based on objective
findings, may either remain the same, be upgraded or downgraded and the
patient will be managed accordingly. When beds are not available in the
emergency, the triage staff or Coordinator will explain the waiting time
and be available to answer any concerns raised by the patient and their
family. When our emergency services are fully occupied, patients
categorized as priority level 2 will be briefly assessed by the triage
nurse and doctor, counselled and referred to another hospital to ensure
that the patient can be appropriately treated in an acceptable time.
