[Presentation of ELISA: a new triage algorithm suitable for emergency department]

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Triage

Context:

• Emergency departments face overcrowding due to demand exceeding care availability.
• Effective patient triage at the entrance is crucial for managing patient influx.
• Current triage systems have undergone development for approximately 15 years.

Purpose:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel triage algorithm, the Liège Scale of severity index at admission (ELISA).
• To stratify patient urgency into a five-level scale (U1 to U5).
• To associate triage scores with specific first medical contact time delays and care pathways.

Summary:

• The ELISA algorithm assigns patients a severity score from U1 (emergent) to U5 (non-urgent).
• This score dictates the recommended time to first medical contact (immediate to 120 minutes).
• It also defines the appropriate care setting (e.g., emergency care unit, inpatient bed, ambulatory care).

Impact:

• The algorithm demonstrates confident efficiency in matching patient acuity to available resources.
• Validation involves comparing initial triage scores with patient follow-up outcomes (ICU admission, hospitalization, discharge).
• Successful implementation can lead to better resource allocation and timely, appropriate patient care.