[Application of the five-level pediatric emergency triage system: a single center study]

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) face challenges in resource optimization and managing critical patient waiting times.
• A standardized triage system is crucial for prioritizing care and improving patient flow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a five-level pediatric emergency triage system (PETS) in optimizing resources and reducing waiting times for children in a PED.
• To analyze the impact of PETS on patient distribution across triage levels and subsequent care delivery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 375,985 patient records from January 2015 to December 2017 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University.
• Data collected included patient demographics, diagnoses, visit times, triage levels assigned by PETS, and patient disposition.
• Evaluation of waiting times and resource utilization based on PETS classifications.

Main Results:

• The implementation of PETS led to an increase in the identification of critical cases (Levels I-III), rising from 3.7% in 2015 to 12.7% in 2017.
• Non-critical cases (Level V) decreased proportionally, indicating better resource allocation.
• Patients in Level III and IV (98.3%) were seen by physicians in a timely manner, with mean waiting times of 9.09 min (Level III) and 17.7 min (Level IV).
• Critical cases admitted to intensive care units increased significantly from 36.2% in 2015 to 66.2% in 2017.

Conclusions:

• The five-level PETS is effective in optimizing emergency resources within a pediatric setting.
• PETS significantly shortens the waiting time for critically ill children, improving the efficiency of the pediatric emergency department.
• The system facilitates better identification and prioritization of urgent cases, leading to improved patient outcomes.