PHP64 - Implementation of the South African Triaging Scale (SATS) System in Eastern Ghana: Assessment of Deployment at the Emergency Department of a Regional Hospital, 2015

Abstract

The use of validated triage protocols in emergency services is key for timely patient risk classification and treatment intervention to improve clinical outcomes. The South African Triage Scale (SATS) is a systematic effective tool for objective urgency measurement in resource limited settings.This study evaluated the accurate SATS usage at Emergency Department (ED) of Eastern Regional Hospital in Ghana since its deployment in May 2015 We conducted retrospective cohort study. Patients 12 years+ who presented at ED were assessed by triage nurse using SATS data capture sheet. Data captured include presenting complaint, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, mobility and AVPU score (A = alert, V= responds to voice, P= responds to pain, U = unresponsive). Triage Early Warning Scale (TEWS) score obtained were matched to SATS discriminator list and appropriate triage colour assigned. We reviewed SATS data capture sheets for patients who visited ED from 1st to 30th June 2015 using SATS algorithm. We recalculated SATS final score and compared to that scored by triage nurse. Patient who had different scores were termed incorrectly triaged or mis-triaged. ATotal of 275 clients reported to ED and triaged during the period with 265 having data sheet completely filled. Fifty-five percent of study participants were females and modal age group was 60 years+ constituting 23%. The commonest chief complaint was abdominal pains constituting 17%. Whiles 83% were correctly triaged, 17% were mis-triaged; consisting of 8.3% under-triaged (sent to zone corresponded to a lower acuity level than they should have been, based on their vital signs) and 8.7% over-triaged. Even though Majority of participants were correctly triaged and under-triaged rate within unavoidable range (5-10%) per American College of Surgeons committee on trauma classification, facility needs to make efforts to ensure no patient is under-triaged to ensure optimum patient care and safety.