Triage

Overview

‘Triage is a process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately.’ (Wikipedia)

‘Deaths in hospital often occur within 24 hours of admission. Many of these deaths could be prevented if very sick children are identified soon after their arrival in the health facility, and treatment is started immediately. The Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) course is designed to familiarize health workers with the ETAT guidelines and to provide them with the necessary knowledge and skills for applying the guidelines. It teaches health workers to:

  • Triage all sick children when they arrive at a health facility, into those with emergency signs, with priority signs, or non-urgent cases
  • Provide emergency treatment for life-threatening conditions.’ (WHO)

    What HIFA2015 members say


    What HIFA2015 members say

    Quotes from the literature

    “A WHO study of hospital care in seven developing countries showed that triage and emergency care were poorly performed, especially in non-teaching hospitals. Common deficiencies included: no formal system of triage or standard assessment, few or no standard treatment guidelines, long delays in providing emergency care, poor training of staff to provide triage and emergency care, understaffing (especially at night), inadequate organization of facilities for triage, and inadequate supplies of drugs and other essential materials. It was concluded that improving the quality of triage and emergency care should contribute substantially to reducing morbidity and mortality in sick infants and children who are brought to hospital for care.”
    World Health Organization 2004

    References


    World Health Organization 2004. Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development. Serious childhood problems in countries with limited resources. 2004, p5