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Implementation of the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) in the Principality of Andorra: Can triage parameters serve as emergency department quality indicators?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Josep Gómez Jiménez ,
Michael J. Murray ,
Robert Beveridge ,
Josep Pons Pons ,
Ester Albert Cortés ,
Joan B. Ferrando Garrigós  and
Marta Borràs Ferré
Josep Gómez Jiménez*
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine Department, Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Principality of Andorra
Michael J. Murray
Affiliation:
Emergency Department, Royal Victoria Hospital, Barrie, Ont., and McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.
Robert Beveridge
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS
Josep Pons Pons
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine Department, Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Principality of Andorra
Ester Albert Cortés
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine Department, Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Principality of Andorra
Joan B. Ferrando Garrigós
Affiliation:
Emergency Medicine Department, Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Principality of Andorra
Marta Borràs Ferré
Affiliation:
Informatics Department, Servei Andorrà d’Atenció Sanitària, Principality of Andorra
*
Emergency Department, Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Avda. Fiter i Rossell 1-13, Escaldes-Engordany, Principality of Andorra; +376 346902, fax +376 868 100, jgomez@andorra.ad

Abstract

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Objective:

To assess the performance of the newly implemented Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) triage system in a redesigned 200-bed community hospital emergency department (ED) and to evaluate the predictive validity of CTAS in this setting.

Methods:

Triage system performance was analyzed on the basis of 4 quality indicators: time to triage; triage duration; proportion of patients who left without being seen by a physician; and waiting time to nurse and physician, stratified by triage level and reported as fractile response rates. The predictive validity of CTAS was evaluated by investigating the relationship between CTAS level, hospitalization index, ED length of stay (LOS) and diagnostic test utilization.

Results:

During the study period, 32 574 patients were triaged and 32 261 were eligible for study. Eighty-five percent were triaged within 10 minutes, and 98% had a triage duration of ≤5 minutes. Waiting times to nurse and physician were within CTAS time objectives in 96.3% and 92.3% of cases respectively. The left without being seen (LWBS) rate was 0.96%. Hospitalization rates were compatible with CTAS standards for adults in Levels I, II, III and V and for children in Level V. Median LOS and laboratory test utilization were highly correlated with CTAS Levels II to V (p < 0.01), and similar correlation between triage acuity and imaging utilization was noted in adult patients with non-traumatic non-musculoskeletal complaints (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

The CTAS is adaptable to countries beyond Canada and its operating objectives are achievable. Time to triage and fractile response rates can be considered indicators of triage quality and ED performance. CTAS is a valid instrument for predicting admission rates, hospital LOS and diagnostic utilization.

Keywords

triageCanadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity ScaleCTASfractile responseutilization
Type
EM Advances • Innovations en MU
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 5 , Issue 5 , September 2003 , pp. 315 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2003

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