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Emergency department patient classification systems: A systematic review.
Susan Williams1, Robert Crouch
1Centre for Primary Health Care Studies, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.
Accident and Emergency Nursing
|August 15, 2006
Summary
A systematic review found few valid and reliable emergency department patient classification systems. The Jones Dependency Tool, a prospective system, demonstrated good validity and reliability for UK nurse staffing.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing Informatics
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Emergency departments (EDs) are high-throughput environments with variable patient acuity.
- Optimal patient care necessitates responsive staffing patterns.
- A validated, reliable, prospective ED patient classification system is needed for UK nurse staffing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on ED patient classification systems.
- To determine the validity, reliability, strengths, and weaknesses of these systems.
Main Methods:
- Searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, DARE, CDSR, CCTR, BioMedNet Reviews, NRR (1985-2004).
- Conducted manual searches of key papers, reports, theses, dissertations.
- Contacted researchers in the field for relevant studies.
Main Results:
- Twelve patient classification systems met inclusion criteria.
- Only three systems showed good validity and reliability: ED Patient Needs Matrix (US), Conner's Tool (Australia), and Jones Dependency Tool (UK).
Conclusions:
- Few ED patient classification systems demonstrate good validity and reliability.
- The Jones Dependency Tool is a simple, reliable, prospective system suitable for UK EDs.