Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
A Modified Sonographic Algorithm for Image Acquisition in Life-Threatening Emergencies in the Critically Ill Newborn
Published on: April 7, 2023
An adapted triage tool (ETAT) at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital Medical Emergency Unit, Cape Town: an
H Buys1, R Muloiwa, C Westwood
1Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. heloise.buys@uct.ac.za.
Insights
The adapted Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) tool effectively categorizes pediatric patients in emergency settings. This triage system demonstrates reliability for improving patient care in resource-limited environments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Healthcare Management
- Global Health
Background:
- Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) is crucial for pediatric care.
- Adapting triage tools is necessary for diverse healthcare settings.
- Resource-constrained environments require efficient patient assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of an adapted Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) tool.
- To assess the reliability of the ETAT tool in a pediatric hospital setting.
- To determine the impact of the adapted ETAT tool on patient disposition.
Main Methods:
- A two-armed descriptive study was conducted.
- Triage data from 1,309 children were analyzed.
- Children were categorized into red (emergency), orange (urgent), and green (non-urgent) groups.
Main Results:
- Admission rates significantly increased with higher triage acuity (RR 2.6-3.2).
- Over 90% of green-triaged children were discharged.
- The adapted ETAT tool showed high accuracy in predicting patient admission.
Conclusions:
- The adapted ETAT process is a reliable triage tool for busy pediatric emergency units.
- This tool is particularly valuable in resource-constrained countries.
- Further evaluation in community emergency settings is recommended.
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of an adapted Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) tool at a children's hospital.
Design:
A two-armed descriptive study.
Setting:
Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.
Methods:
Triage data on 1 309 children from October 2007 and July 2009 were analysed. The number of children in each triage category (red (emergency), orange (urgent or priority) and green (non-urgent)) and their disposal were evaluated.
Results:
1. The October 2007 series: 902 children aged 5 days - 15 years were evaluated. Their median age was 20 (interquartile range (IQR) 7 - 50) months, and 58.8% (n=530) were triaged green, 37.5% (n=338) orange and 3.8% (n=34) red. Over 90% of children in the green category were discharged (478/530), while 32.5% of children triaged orange (110/338) and 52.9% of children triaged red (18/34) were admitted. There was a significant increase in admission rate for each triage colour change from green through orange to red after adjustment for age category (risk ratio (RR) 2.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2 - 3.1). 2. The July 2009 cohort: 407 children with a median age of 22 months (IQR 7 - 53 months) were enrolled. Twelve children (2.9%) were triaged red, 187 (45.9%) orange and 208 (51.1%) green. A quarter (101/407) of the children triaged were admitted: 91.7% (11/12) from the red category and 36.9% (69/187) from the orange category were admitted, while 89.9% of children in the green category (187/208) were discharged. After adjusting for age category, admissions increased by more than 300% for every change in triage acuity (RR 3.2; 95% CI 2.5 - 4.1).
Conclusions:
The adapted ETAT process may serve as a reliable triage tool for busy paediatric medical emergency units in resource-constrained countries and could be evaluated further in community emergency settings.
