- TRIAGE -

Question 1

State the purpose of the ED triage system

Answer 1

To:

• Treat pt’s based on clinical urgency
• Improve clinical outcomes
• Improve quality of care

Question 2

Identify the physiological descriptors for each of the five categories in the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS)

Answer 2

Cat 1 - Immediately life threatening
Cat 2 - Imminently life threatening/ important time critical intervention
Cat 3 - Potentially life threatening/ situational urgency
Cat 4 - Potentially serious/ situational urgency, significant complexity
Cat 5 - Less Urgent/ clinical administrative problems

Question 3

Describe the five categories of the ATS in terms of time to treatment

Answer 3

Cat 1 - Immediate
Cat 2 - <10 mins
Cat 3 - <30 mins
Cat 4 - <60 mins
Cat 5 - <120 mins

Question 4

Identify risk factors associated with children and state how the triage category is affected

Answer 4

• Age < 3 months old
  (febrile, acute change to feeding or sleeping pattern)
• Victims of violence (Child of risk, sexual assault, neglect)
• Events preceding ED
  (apnoeic episode, decreased intake or output, red current jelly stool, bile stained vomit)
• Parental concern
• Rash
• Alteration in body temperature

Question 5

Identify risk factors associated with elderly pts and state how the triage category is affected

Answer 5

• > 65
• comorbidities
• mechanism of injury

Question 6

Identify risk factors associated with pregnant pts and state how the triage category is affected

Answer 6

• hypertension
• PV loss
• headache
• visual disturbances
• RUQ pain
• loss of foetal movement after 18/20 weeks

Question 7

Identify risk factors associated with mental illness and state how the triage category is affected

Answer 7

• aggressive behaviour
• impulsive
• risk of harm to self or others
• involvement of drugs and alcohol
• lack of insight