An Interactive Interface for Displaying Recommendations on Emergency Phone Triage in Pediatrics

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Triage

Background:

• Emergency phone triage is crucial for identifying critical patients but challenging in pediatrics due to limited training and guidelines.
• Existing protocols often lack specific considerations for pediatric emergency assessment, potentially delaying critical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate an interactive interface for providing recommendations in pediatric emergency phone triage.
• To improve the speed and accuracy of identifying critical pediatric emergencies during initial phone consultations.

Main Methods:

• Medical students translated local emergency guidelines into a decision tree format.
• An interactive interface was developed based on usability principles, prioritizing early identification of critical conditions.
• The interface underwent assessment by 10 medical doctors evaluating its ergonomics and navigation.

Main Results:

• Medical doctors found the interface's ergonomics intuitive, citing features like color-coding.
• Navigation through the decision support tool was perceived as easy.
• Nine out of ten doctors expressed willingness to use the interface during actual emergency phone triage.

Conclusions:

• The developed interactive interface shows promise for enhancing pediatric emergency phone triage.
• The tool's usability and potential to expedite critical emergency identification were positively received by medical professionals.
• Future implementation in emergency call centers is planned following further improvements.