Assess the Preparedness Regarding Triage Skills Amongst Emergency Medical Professionals in Pune, India

Abstract

Background: The word Triage means to sort or sieve and has originated from the French word “trier”. Theconcept of triage was first applied in the military to evaluate and categorize wounded soldiers quickly duringthe battle probably around 1792. Emergency medical services (EMS) professionals are the first respondersduring mass casualty incidents. Successful application of triage requires continued education and practicein real clinical situations. Hence, it is essential to assess the adequate preparedness with regards to triageamong EMS Professionals on a regular basis.Objective: To assess the preparedness regarding triage skills amongst Emergency Medical Professionals inPune, India.Methodology: The study was conducted amongst 120 Emergency Medical Professionals in Pune, India. Apreviously tested and validated Triage Skill questionnaire designed by Sitotaw Kerie etal and publishedin 2018 was utilized for the study. Participants were asked to respond to each item using 1-5 Likert scale.Questionnaire was administered to the participants through online mode after obtaining informed consent.Discussion: The results indicate that participants tended to over prioritize indicating lack of knowledgeof degree of care required by different patients. Majority of the participants scored between 146 to 180corresponding to high degree of confidence in their skills regarding triage and management of patient. Thescores obtained in the scenarios do not correlate with the self-perceived confidence.Conclusion: The study throws light on the over prioritization bias amongst EMS professionals. Althoughthe study has been conducted amongst 120 EMS Professionals and is limited, yet it provides insight on thevarious aspects of triage assessment. Regular hands on training is required to improve the knowledge andskill set of the EMS professionals with respect to triage that can be extremely useful in emergency situation.