Standardizing Triage in Interventional Radiology: Results of a Delphi Consensus Process

Prioritization of emergency cases with risk-stratification tools can improve patient care and decrease morbidity. No triage system yet exists for interventional radiology (IR). In this study, IR attendings were anonymously surveyed using the Delphi method with the goal of establishing consensus about triaging IR cases. Common procedures were scored as high, medium, or low priority, or designated do not include, with suggested appropriate intervention timing for each tier. Three rounds of surveys were conducted, garnering 63, 36, and 34 responses each. Across all rounds, 55% of responses came from academic interventional radiologists, 29% from private practice, and 16% from community hospitals, with 77% of respondents having 5 or more years of attending experience. Of 34 procedures, 21 achieved >75% agreement, with an additional 2 procedures reaching agreement if only considering respondents with 5 or more years of experience. Implementing this consensus-based IR triage system could improve treatment times and patient-related outcomes.