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Development of a Pediatric Mass Casualty Triage Algorithm Validation Tool
Insights
A new Criteria Outcomes Tool (COT) was developed to validate mass casualty incident (MCI) triage algorithms for pediatric patients. This tool demonstrated good reproducibility in initial studies for emergency triage.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Disaster Preparedness
- Pediatric Trauma
Background:
- Accurate mass casualty incident (MCI) triage is critical to prevent overwhelming trauma systems and reduce pediatric morbidity/mortality.
- Existing MCI algorithms lack specific validation tools for the pediatric population.
- There is a need for a validated tool to assess the accuracy of MCI triage algorithms in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a Criteria Outcomes Tool (COT) for validating MCI algorithms in pediatric trauma patients.
- The COT aims to assess the accuracy of triage designations based on resource utilization and clinical outcomes.
- To establish a reliable tool for the specific needs of pediatric mass casualty incidents.
Main Methods:
- Expert opinion and literature review were used to create an initial COT.
- A modified-Delphi approach refined the COT, categorizing pediatric victims (≤14 years) using Red to Black designations.
- The COT was validated through retrospective application to 25 pediatric trauma cases by two independent reviewers.
Main Results:
- A 47-item COT was created to validate MCI algorithm triage designations.
- Application to 25 pediatric cases resulted in 6 Red, 6 Yellow, 6 Green, and 7 Black triage outcomes.
- The tool demonstrated 100% inter-rater reliability between the two reviewers.
Conclusions:
- The developed Criteria Outcomes Tool (COT) effectively evaluates MCI algorithm performance in pediatric triage.
- The COT shows good reproducibility, offering a valuable validation instrument for pediatric disaster scenarios.
- This tool addresses a critical gap in pediatric emergency preparedness and response.
Background:
Rapid, accurate evaluation and sorting of victims in a mass casualty incident (MCI) is crucial, as over-triage of victims may overwhelm a trauma system and under-triage may lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality. At this time, there is no validation tool specifically developed for the pediatric population to test an MCI algorithm's inherent capabilities to correctly triage children.
Objective:
To develop a set of criteria for outcomes and interventions to be used as a validation tool for testing an MCI algorithm's ability to correctly triage patients from a cohort of pediatric trauma patients.
Methods:
Expert opinion and literature review was used to formulate an initial Criteria Outcomes Tool (COT) that retrospectively categorizes pediatric (≤14 years of age) MCI victims based on resource utilization and clinical outcomes using the classic Red to Black MCI triage designations: Red - cardiopulmonary or mental status compromise needing intervention, Yellow - stable cardiopulmonary status but may require life or limb therapy, Green - minimally injured, and Black - deceased or likely to die given the circumstances. Using an anatomic approach, a list of criteria were defined and a modified-Delphi approach was used to create a summative COT that was reviewed by the American Academy of Pediatrics Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council. The resulting COT was independently applied to a weighted retrospective cohort of 25 pediatric victims from a single Level I trauma center by two reviewers to determine reproducibility.
Results:
We created a Criteria Outcomes Tool (COT) with 47 outcomes and interventions to validate an MCI algorithm's triage designation. When the COT was applied to a cohort of 25 weighted pediatric charts, we identified the following resource utilization and outcome based triage designations: six Red, six Yellow, six Green, and seven Black triage outcomes. The 100% agreement was obtained between the two reviewers in each of the four categories.
Conclusions:
We designed an outcomes and resource utilization tool, the COT, to evaluate the ability of an MCI algorithm to correctly triage pediatric patients. Our tool has good reproducibility on initial study.
Key Words:
pediatric; disaster; validation tools; triage algorithms; emergency.
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