Triage and case presentations in a chiropractic pediatric clinic

Area of Science:

• Chiropractic care
• Pediatric health
• Public health

Background:

• Triage in chiropractic practice identifies patients needing referral.
• Effective triage ensures safe and optimal patient care.
• This study focuses on triage in pediatric and pregnancy chiropractic settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illustrate triage skill application in primary care chiropractic pediatric practice.
• To examine triage during new patient and visit-to-visit protocols.

Main Methods:

• A 1-year analysis of chiropractic triage visits.
• Included 48 new pediatric/pregnant patients and 1634 existing pediatric/pregnant patients.

Main Results:

• Over 85% of new patients presented with limited concern (P3/green flag).
• Existing patients showed a 12-15% rate of P1 (emergency) or P2 (cautionary) triage.
• 11% of pediatric triage visits were P1 level.

Conclusions:

• New pediatric chiropractic patients seldom present in crisis (P1).
• Existing patients have a higher likelihood of presenting with P1-level needs.
• Triage categorizes patients for safe, effective chiropractic care.