Undertriage Rates Research Articles

Assessment of the Suitability of Trauma Triage According to Physiological Criteria in Korea

Purpose: A trauma center project for treating patients with trauma has been established in Korea. A trauma team is activated based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) field triage Step 1 for patient triage. Here, we determined if the currently applied criteria were appropriate for the triage of patients with trauma in Korea.Methods: This retrospective study included patients who were taken to the regional trauma center from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019, and were registered in the Korean Trauma database. The rates for undertriage and overtriage were calculated from the in-field and in-hospital triage according to the CDC guidelines Step 1.Results: Among the 9,383 patients transferred to the trauma center, 3,423 were directly transferred from the site and were investigated. The overall rates for undertriage and overtriage of these patients were 28.13% and 30.35%, respectively. For the patients who received in-field triage and were directly transferred to the trauma center, the rates for undertriage and overtriage were 27.92% and 32.39%, and 25.92% and 29.11% for in-hospital triage, respectively. The concordance rate of triage was 87.09%.Conclusion: The current use of in-hospital triage physiological criteria as set out in the CDC guidelines Step 1, indicated an undertriage rate which was high and an overtriage rate within the acceptable range. Further studies on triaging patients with trauma are warranted. Improvements in the guidelines of the trauma center project are necessary and this needs to be supported by resources and training for field personnel.

Validity of the Brazilian pediatric triage system CLARIPED at a secondary level of emergency care

ObjectiveTo evaluate the validity of the triage system CLARIPED in a pediatric population in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. MethodsProspective, observational study in a secondary-level pediatric emergency service from Sep-2018 to Ago-2019. A convenience sample of all patients aged 0–18 years triaged by the computerized CLARIPED system was selected. Associations between urgency levels and patient outcomes were analyzed to assess construct validity. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) to identify the most urgent patients were estimated, as well as under-triage and over-triage rates. ResultsThe distribution of 24,338 visits was: RED 0.02%, ORANGE 0.9%, YELLOW 23.5%, GREEN 47.9%, and BLUE 27.7% (highest to the lowest level of urgency). The frequency of the following outcomes increased with increasing urgency: hospital admission (0.0%, 0.02%, 0.1%, 7.1% and 20%); stay in ED observation room (1.9%, 2,4%, 4.8%, 24.1%, 60%); use of ≥ 2 diagnostic/therapeutic resources (2.3%, 3.0%, 5.9%, 28.8%, 40%); ED length of stay (12, 12, 15, 99.5, 362 min). The most urgent patients (RED, ORANGE, and YELLOW) exhibited higher chances of using ≥ 2 resources (OR 2.55; 95%CI: 2.23–2.92) or of being hospitalized (OR 23.9; 95%CI: 7.17–79.62), compared to the least urgent (GREEN and BLUE). The sensitivity to identify urgency was 0.88 (95%CI: 0.70–0.98); specificity, 0.76 (95%CI: 0.75–0.76); NPV, 0.99 (95%CI: 0.99–1.00); overtriage rate, 23.0%, and undertriage, 11.5%. ConclusionThis study corroborates the validity and safety of CLARIPED, demonstrating significant correlations with clinical outcomes, good sensitivity, and low undertriage rate in a secondary-level Brazilian pediatric emergency service.

All about the Benjamins: Efficacy of a modified triage protocol for trauma activation in geriatric patients

BackgroundThe geriatric triage protocol at the study institution was modified from SBP <90 mmHg to SBP <110 mmHg and then to SBP <100 mmHg. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of adjusting geriatric triage protocols on patient outcomes. MethodsA single-center retrospective review was conducted on trauma patients 65 years or older. Three study periods with different geriatric specific trauma team activation (TTA) protocols (Group 1-SBP<90 mmHg; Group 2-SBP<110 mmHg; Group 3-SBP<100 mmHg) were compared. Results2016 patients were included. There were no differences in mortality rates or need for trauma intervention (NFTI) rates among the three groups. The SBP <100 mmHg and SBP <110 mmHg groups had similar under-triage rates. The NFTI over-triage rate in the SBP <100 mmHg group was lower than the SBP <110 mmHg group. ConclusionUsing SBP <100 mmHg threshold for TTA criteria in geriatric trauma patients improves over-triage without leading to under-triage.

Virtual Triage Practices in Emergency General Surgery Patients from Freestanding Emergency Departments: A 5-Year Analysis

INTRODUCTION: Freestanding Emergency Departments (FSEDs) have risen in popularity, reducing emergency department (ED) wait time and demand at overburdened hospitals. Although there has been limited evaluation into FSED utility in psychiatric populations, there are no data evaluating virtual triage disposition in surgical populations without physical examination by surgical team. We report our experience virtually triaging emergency general surgery (EGS) patients from an affiliated FSED to discharge, Level I trauma center (TC) or community hospital (CH). METHODS: EGS patients presenting to FSED with surgical consultation between 2016 and 2021 were analyzed. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS), surgical intervention, and 30-day mortality and readmission. Undertriage and overtriage rate was calculated and defined as: (1) discharge undertriage: discharge home with 30-day ED visit/readmission; (2) transfer undertriage: admission to CH requiring transfer to TC; and (3) overtriage: admissions <24 hours without operation. RESULTS: Of 1,105 patients, 167 (15%) were discharged home, 303 (27%) were transferred to TC, and 635 (58%) transferred to CH. Patients admitted to TC were older with higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores and higher acuity pathology, but CH had higher operative rate and laparoscopy with shorter length of stay, operating room time, 30-day readmission, and mortality. Transfer undertriage was 0.9% (n = 6) with 1 due to disease acuity. Discharge undertriage was 12% (n = 20) due to worsening or stable pathology. Overtriage was 5.5% (n = 52) with most having a partial small-bowel obstruction or ambiguous diagnostic imaging necessitating observation. CONCLUSION: Virtual EGS triage at FSED to disposition, without an in-person examination, demonstrated both low undertriage and overtriage rate, reflecting appropriate triage practices.

Evaluation of activation criteria in paediatric multi-trauma.

To explore the optimal set of trauma activation criteria predicting paediatric patients' need for acute care following multi-trauma, with particular attention to Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) cut-off value. A retrospective cohort study of paediatric multi-trauma patients aged 0 to 16 years, performed at a Level 1 paediatric trauma centre. Trauma activation criteria and GCS levels were examined with respect to patients' need for acute care, defined as: direct to operating room disposition, intensive care unit admission, need for acute interventions in the trauma room, or in-hospital death. We enrolled 436 patients (median age 8.0 years). The following predicted need for acute care: GCS <14 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 23.0, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.5 to 45.9, P < 0.001), hemodynamic instability: (aOR 3.7, 95% CI: 1.2-8.1, P = 0.01), open pneumothorax/flail chest (aOR: 20.0, 95% CI: 4.0 to 98.7, P < 0.001), spinal cord injury (aOR 15.4, 95% CI; 2.4 to 97.1, P = 0.003), blood transfusion at the referring hospital (aOR: 7.7, 95% CI: 1.3 to 44.2, P = 0.02) and GSW to the chest, abdomen, neck, or proximal extremities (aOR 11.0, 95% CI; 1.7 to 70.8, P = 0.01). Using these activation criteria would have decreased over- triage by 10.7%, from 49.1% to 37.2% and under-triage by 1.3%, from 4.7% to 3.5%, in our cohort of patients. Using GCS<14, hemodynamic instability, open pneumothorax/flail chest, spinal cord injury, blood transfusion at the referring hospital, and GSW to the chest, abdomen, neck of proximal extremities, as T1 activation criteria could decrease over- and under-triage rates. Prospective studies are needed to validate the optimal set of activation criteria in paediatric patients.

Early identification of bleeding in trauma patients: external validation of traumatic bleeding scores in the Swiss Trauma Registry

BackgroundEarly identification of bleeding at the scene of an injury is important for triage and timely treatment of injured patients and transport to an appropriate facility. The aim of the study is to compare the performance of different bleeding scores.MethodsWe examined data from the Swiss Trauma Registry for the years 2015–2019. The Swiss Trauma Registry includes patients with major trauma (injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 16 and/or abbreviated injury scale (AIS) head ≥ 3) admitted to any level-one trauma centre in Switzerland. We evaluated ABC, TASH and Shock index (SI) scores, used to predict massive transfusion (MT) and the BATT score and used to predict death from bleeding. We evaluated the scores when used prehospital and in-hospital in terms of discrimination (C-Statistic) and calibration (calibration slope). The outcomes were early death within 24 h and the receipt of massive transfusion (≥ 10 Red Blood cells (RBC) units in the first 24 h or ≥ 3 RBC units in the first hour).ResultsWe examined data from 13,222 major trauma patients. There were 1,533 (12%) deaths from any cause, 530 (4%) early deaths within 24 h, and 523 (4%) patients who received a MT (≥ 3 RBC within the first hour). In the prehospital setting, the BATT score had the highest discrimination for early death (C-statistic: 0.86, 95% CI 0.84–0.87) compared to the ABC score (0.63, 95% CI 0.60–0.65) and SI (0.53, 95% CI 0.50–0.56), P < 0.001. At hospital admission, the TASH score had the highest discrimination for MT (0.80, 95% CI 0.78–0.82). The positive likelihood ratio for early death were superior to 5 for BATT, ABC and TASH. The negative likelihood ratio for early death was below 0.1 only for the BATT score.ConclusionsThe BATT score accurately estimates the risk of early death with excellent performance, low undertriage, and can be used for prehospital treatment decision-making. Scores predicting MT presented a high undertriage rate. The outcome MT seems not appropriate to stratify the risk of life-threatening bleeding.Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04561050. Registered 15 September 2020.

Patients’ self-triage for unscheduled urgent care: a preliminary study on the accuracy and factors affecting the performance of a Belgian self-triage platform

BackgroundManagement of unscheduled urgent care is a complex concern for many healthcare providers. Facing the challenge of appropriately dispatching unscheduled care, primary and emergency physicians have collaboratively implemented innovative strategies such as telephone triage. Currently, new original solutions tend to emerge with the development of new technologies. We created an interactive patient self-triage platform, ODISSEE, and aimed to explore its accuracy and potential factors affecting its performance using clinical case scenarios.MethodsThe ODISSEE platform was developed based on previously validated triage protocols for out-of-hours primary care. ODISSEE is composed of 18 icons leading to algorithmic questions that finally provide an advised orientation (emergency or primary care services). To investigate ODISSEE performance, we used 100 clinical case scenarios, each associated with a preestablished orientation determined by a group of experts. Fifteen volunteers were asked to self-triage with 50 randomly selected scenarios using ODISSEE on a digital tablet. Their triage results were compared with the experts’ references.ResultsThe 15 participants performed a total of 750 self-triages, which matched the experts references regarding the level of care in 85.6% of the cases. The orientation was incorrect in 14.4%, with an undertriage rate of 1.9% and an overtriage rate of 12.5%. The tool’s specificity and sensitivity to advise participants on the appropriate level of care were 69% (95% CI: 64—74) and 97% (95% CI: 95—98) respectively. When combined with advice on the level of urgency, the tool only found the correct orientation in 68.4% with 9.2% of undertriages and 22.4% of overtriages. Some participant characteristics and the types of medical conditions demonstrated a significant association with the tool performance.ConclusionSelf-triage apps, such as the ODISSEE platform, could represent an innovative method to allow patients to self-triage to the most appropriate level of care. This study based on clinical vignettes highlights some positive arguments regarding ODISSEE safety, but further research is needed to assess the generalizability of such tools to the population without equity issues.

Advanced Automatic Crash Notification Algorithm for Children.

Advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) can improve triage decision-making by using vehicle telemetry to alert first responders of a motor vehicle crash and estimate an occupant's likelihood of injury. The objective was to develop an AACN algorithm to predict the risk that a pediatric occupant is seriously injured and requires treatment at a Level I or II trauma center. Based on 3 injury facets (severity; time sensitivity; predictability), a list of Target Injuries associated with a child's need for Level I/II trauma center treatment was determined. Multivariable logistic regression of motor vehicle crash occupants was performed creating the pediatric-specific AACN algorithm to predict risk of sustaining a Target Injury. Algorithm inputs included: delta-v, rollover quarter-turns, belt status, multiple impacts, airbag deployment, and age. The algorithm was optimized to achieve under-triage ≤5% and over-triage ≤50%. Societal benefits were assessed by comparing correctly triaged motor vehicle crash occupants using the AACN algorithm against real-world decisions. The pediatric AACN algorithm achieved 25% to 49% over-triage across crash modes, and under-triage rates of 2% for far-side, 3% for frontal and near-side, 8% for rear, and 14% for rollover crashes. Applied to real-world motor vehicle crashes, improvements of 59% in under-triage and 45% in over-triage are estimated: more appropriate triage of 32,320 pediatric occupants annually. This AACN algorithm accounts for pediatric developmental stage and will aid emergency personnel in correctly triaging pediatric occupants after a motor vehicle crash. Once incorporated into the trauma triage network, it will increase triage efficiency and improve patient outcomes.

Undertriage of Geriatric Trauma Patients in Florida

IntroductionElderly undertriage rates are estimated up to 55% in the United States. This study examined risk factors for undertriage among hospitalized trauma patients in a state with high volumes of geriatric trauma patients. Materials and methodsThis is a population–based retrospective cohort study of 62,557 patients admitted to Florida hospitals between 2016 and 2018 from the Agency for Healthcare Administration database. Severely injured trauma patients were defined by American College of Surgeons definitions and an International Classification of Disease Injury Severity Score <0.85. Undertriage was defined as definitive care of these severely injured patients at any Florida hospital other than a state-designated trauma center (TC). Univariate analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with inpatient mortality and undertriage. Multiple variable regression was used to estimate risk-adjusted odds of mortality after admission to either a designated or nondesignated TC. ResultsUndertriaged patients were more likely to have isolated traumatic brain injuries, lower International Classification of Disease Injury Severity Scores, multiple comorbidities, and older age. Trauma patients aged 65 and older were more than twice as likely to be undertriaged (34% versus 15.7%, P < 0.0001). Undertriaged patients of all ages were also more likely to suffer from pneumonia, urinary tract infection, arrhythmias, and sepsis. After risk adjustment, severely injured trauma patients admitted to non-TC were also more likely to be at risk for mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.38). ConclusionsAge and multiple comorbidities are significant predictors of mortality among undertriage of trauma patients. As a result, trauma triage guidelines should account for high-risk geriatric trauma patients who would benefit from definitive treatment at designated TCs.

Impact of Modified Geriatric Trauma Activation Criteria on patient outcomes at a level 1 trauma center

Background The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program recommends a lower threshold for trauma activation on geriatric patients. We implemented the Modified Geriatric Trauma Activation Criteria (MGTAC) and assessed the clinical impact on geriatric trauma patients. Methods Geriatric trauma patients aged 65 years and over presenting between 1/1/2014 and 12/31/2020 were identified through the Trauma Registry. MGTAC were implemented on 3/1/2017, where patients aged 65 and above were rendered as Highest Level activations when presenting with no prior work-up. Those presenting from 1/1/2014 to 2/28/2017 were grouped as Standard Activation Criteria (SAC), and those presenting between 3/1/2017 and 12/31/2020 were grouped as MGTAC. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, level of activation, operative intervention, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of stay, survival, and undertriage rates were reviewed. Chi square, ANOVA, and unpaired t-test were used for analysis to compare SAC and MGTAC patient outcomes. Results 2582 patients were identified: 1293 (50.1%) in SAC and 1289 (49.9%) in MGTAC. Highest Level trauma activations for SAC vs. MGTAC were 9.3% vs. 30.4%, p &lt; .01. Between SAC and MGTAC, ICU admission was 24.1% vs. 16.5%, p&lt;0.01; operative intervention was 10.3% vs. 12.9%, p = .04; undertriage rates were 6.1% vs. 3.8%, p = .01; and average length of stay was 7 days for SAC vs. 6.4 days for MGTAC, p = .54. Overall mortality was 9% for SAC and 9.5% for MGTAC, p = .66. Conclusion Implementation of MGTAC did not improve geriatric trauma patient mortality. However, it decreased ICU admission and undertriage, and increased operative intervention during the first 24 hours.

Air Rescue for Pediatric Trauma in a Metropolitan Region of Brazil: Profiles, Outcomes, and Overtriage Rates.

Besides ensuring a quick response and transport of trauma victims, helicopter support also involves risks to patients and professionals and has higher operational costs. Studying prehospital triage criteria and their relationship with patient overtriage and outcomes is important, particularly in newly established services and in developing countries with limited health budgets. This could help improve the use of the helicopter rescue and provide better management of the costs and risks related to it. The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiologic and severity profiles of pediatric victims of trauma attended by helicopter in a Brazilian Metropolitan Area to evaluate the outcomes and overtriage rates related to pediatric air rescue in the region. We conducted an observational and retrospective study using 49 hospital and prehospital records from victims of trauma aged <18 years old (yo) assisted by helicopter and then transferred to a tertiary University Hospital. Of the 49 patients, 39 (79.6%) individuals were male, and the mean age was 11.3 yo. Vehicular collisions accounted for 15 (30.6%) of the traumas, and traumatic brain injuries occurred in 28 (57.1%) cases. A total of 29 (59.1%) individuals had severe trauma (Injury Severity Score; ISS >15), and 34 (69.4%) required admission to the intensive care unit. Overtriage varied from 18.4 to 40.8% depending on the criteria used for its definition, being more frequent in individuals aged between 1 and 5 yo. Death occurred in 10 (20.4%) patients. On prehospital evaluation, we classified 29/32 (90.6%) patients with severe trauma according to the Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS ≤8) and 18/25 (72%) according to the Revised Trauma Score (RTS ≤11). Of these, 7/29 (24.1%) and 6/18 (33.3%), respectively, presented ISS <15 at in-hospital evaluation. None of the patients with PTS >8 and 3/7 (42.8%) of those with RTS >11 presented ISS >15. In conclusion, air rescue of pediatric trauma victims was used mainly for critically ill individuals, resulting in rates of overtriage compatible with that found in the literature. PTS showed the lowest rates of overtriage within excellent rates of undertriage.

Performance-Based Assessment of Trauma Systems: Estimates for the State of Ohio.

There are no widely accepted metrics to determine the optimal number and geographic distribution of trauma centers (TCs). We propose a Performance-based Assessment of Trauma System (PBATS) model to optimize the number and distribution of TCs in a region using key performance metrics. The proposed PBATS approach relies on well-established mathematical programming approach to minimize the number of level I (LI) and level II (LII) TCs required in a region, constrained by prespecified system-related under-triage (srUT) and over-triage (srOT) rates and TC volume. To illustrate PBATS, we collected 6002 matched (linked) records from the 2012 Ohio Trauma and EMS registries. The PBATS-suggested network was compared to the 2012 Ohio network and also to the configuration proposed by the Needs-Based Assessment of Trauma System (NBATS) tool. For this data, PBATS suggested 14 LI/II TCs with a slightly different geographic distribution compared to the 2012 network with 21 LI and LII TC, for the same srUT≈.2 and srOT≈.52. To achieve UT ≤ .05, PBATS suggested 23 LI/II TCs with a significantly different distribution. The NBATS suggested fewer TCs (12 LI/II) than the Ohio 2012 network. The PBATS approach can generate a geographically optimized network of TCs to achieve prespecified performance characteristics such as srUT rate, srOT rate, and TC volume. Such a solution may provide a useful data-driven standard, which can be used to drive incremental system changes and guide policy decisions.

Safety of Triage Self-assessment Using a Symptom Assessment App for Walk-in Patients in the Emergency Care Setting: Observational Prospective Cross-sectional Study.

BackgroundIncreasing use of emergency departments (EDs) by patients with low urgency, combined with limited availability of medical staff, results in extended waiting times and delayed care. Technological approaches could possibly increase efficiency by providing urgency advice and symptom assessments.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of urgency advice provided by a symptom assessment app, Ada, in an ED.MethodsThe study was conducted at the interdisciplinary ED of Marburg University Hospital, with data collection performed between August 2019 and March 2020. This study had a single-center cross-sectional prospective observational design and included 378 patients. The app’s urgency recommendation was compared with an established triage concept (Manchester Triage System [MTS]), including patients from the lower 3 MTS categories only. For all patients who were undertriaged, an expert physician panel assessed the case to detect potential avoidable hazardous situations (AHSs).ResultsOf 378 participants, 344 (91%) were triaged the same or more conservatively and 34 (8.9%) were undertriaged by the app. Of the 378 patients, 14 (3.7%) had received safe advice determined by the expert panel and 20 (5.3%) were considered to be potential AHS. Therefore, the assessment could be considered safe in 94.7% (358/378) of the patients when compared with the MTS assessment. From the 3 lowest MTS categories, 43.4% (164/378) of patients were not considered as emergency cases by the app, but could have been safely treated by a general practitioner or would not have required a physician consultation at all.ConclusionsThe app provided urgency advice after patient self-triage that has a high rate of safety, a rate of undertriage, and a rate of triage with potential to be an AHS, equivalent to telephone triage by health care professionals while still being more conservative than direct ED triage. A large proportion of patients in the ED were not considered as emergency cases, which could possibly relieve ED burden if used at home. Further research should be conducted in the at-home setting to evaluate this hypothesis.Trial RegistrationGerman Clinical Trial Registration DRKS00024909; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do? navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00024909

A prospective study comparing two methods of pre-hospital triage for trauma

We conducted a prospective study comparing two different pre-hospital triage tools for trauma: the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) field triage decision scheme and the TRENAU score. The main objective was to evaluate which triage tool was more appropriate in the setting of Lombardy's trauma system. Data were collected from the population of trauma patients admitted to Niguarda hospital in Milan from January to June 2021. RStudio and Excel were used for data analysis. For each triage tool performance measures, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves, and overtriage and undertriage rates were obtained. A total of 1439 injured patients admitted through 118 pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were included in the study. The ACS-COT triage tool showed a good accuracy but an excessive overtriage rate (59%). The TRENAU triage tool had a moderately good accuracy and a low overtriage rate (23%) while maintaining an acceptable undertriage rate (3.9%). The TRENAU triage tool proved to be efficient in optimizing the use of resources dedicated to trauma care while resulting safe for the injured patient. In a modern trauma system such as Lombardy's it would be more appropriate to adopt the TRENAU score over the ACS-COT field triage decision scheme.

Under-Triage and Over-Triage Using the Field Triage Guidelines for Injured Patients: A Systematic Review

Objectives The Field Triage Guidelines (FTG) are used across North America to identify seriously injured patients for transport to appropriate level trauma centers, with a goal of under-triaging no more than 5% and over-triaging between 25% and 35%. Our objective was to systematically review the literature on under-triage and over-triage rates of the FTG. Methods We conducted a systematic review of the FTG performance. Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane databases were searched for studies published between January 2011 and February 2021. Two investigators dual-reviewed eligibility of abstracts and full-text. We included studies evaluating under- or over-triage of patients using the FTG in the prehospital setting. We excluded studies not reporting an outcome of under- or over-triage, studies evaluating other triage tools, or studies of triage not in the prehospital setting. Two investigators independently assessed the risk of bias for each included article. The primary accuracy measures to assess the FTG were under-triage, defined as seriously injured patients transported to non-trauma hospitals (1-sensitivity), and over-triage, defined as non-injured patients transported to trauma hospitals (1-specificity). Due to heterogeneity, results were synthesized qualitatively. Results We screened 2,418 abstracts, reviewed 315 full-text publications, and identified 17 studies that evaluated the accuracy of the FTG. Among eight studies evaluating the entire FTG (steps 1–4), under-triage rates ranged from 1.6% to 72.0% and were higher for older (≥55 or ≥65 years) adults (20.1–72.0%) and pediatric (<15 years) patients (15.9–34.8%) compared to all ages (1.6–33.8%). Over-triage rates ranged from 9.9% to 87.4% and were higher for all ages (12.2–87.4%) compared to older (≥55 or ≥65 years) adults (9.9–48.2%) and pediatric (<15 years) patients (28.0–33.6%). Under-triage was lower in studies strictly applying the FTG retrospectively (1.6–34.8%) compared to as-practiced (10.5–72.0%), while over-triage was higher retrospectively (64.2–87.4%) compared to as-practiced (9.9–48.2%). Conclusions Evidence suggests that under-triage, while improved if the FTG is strictly applied, remains above targets, with higher rates of under-triage in both children and older adults.

Benchmarking performance in emergency medical services for improving trauma care: A data driven approach

ObjectiveWe propose a data-driven approach, that can be used by any state or region, to cluster county-level emergency medical services (EMS) and subsequently benchmark them against their peers using over- (OT) and under-triage (UT) rates as performance measures. MethodsThe approach consists of three phases: data collection, clustering, and benchmarking. Collected data includes EMS trauma-specific capabilities, volume, and performance improvement activities aggregated at the county level. Clustering approaches include K-means, K-medoids, and CLARANS. Benchmarking of EMS performance in each county against its peer within the same cluster was conducted using guidelines from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) on over- (OT) and under-triage (UT) rates. To illustrate our data-driven approach, we used data collected from the state of Ohio (OH). This included a survey of 318 EMS agencies across 87 counties in the state of OH, and 6002 deidentified patient records from 2012 obtained from the state of Ohio's EMS Division. ResultsOur proposed approach can handle both qualitative and quantitative data. It is capable of identifying key factors that allow for grouping of counties as peers, in a cluster, to enable subsequent benchmarking. Application of our approach on the state of OH data revealed that county-type (rural vs urban), number of trauma-related runs, number of paid vs. voluntary employees, and additional resources provided by EMS agencies in the county (to help with well-being and coping mechanisms for EMS providers) were key factors in clustering. A small number of clusters appeared sufficient to group counties based on various EMS attributes. Benchmarking based on ACS guidelines revealed a large variation in UT and OT rates among counties in the same cluster. Rates up to 3–4 times higher were observed in several counties compared to the best performing county in that cluster, even though some of these counties had better capabilities. ConclusionOur novel, data-driven approach can enable any regional or state EMS agency in the United States (US) to quantitatively compare counties with their peers in the same cluster and help unravel new insights that could be used to target cluster-specific interventions that can achieve improved outcomes.

Retraction Notice of "Development of Trauma Level Prediction Models Using Emergency Medical Service Vital Signs to Reduce Over- and Undertriage Rates in Penetrating Wounds and Falls of the Elderly".

Retraction Notice of "Development of Trauma Level Prediction Models Using Emergency Medical Service Vital Signs to Reduce Over- and Undertriage Rates in Penetrating Wounds and Falls of the Elderly".

複合的指標に基づく重症外傷患者選別基準とアンダートリアージの低下(Composite criteria for identification of severely injured patients and decreased undertriage)

要旨【目的】重症外傷の病院前選別ではアンダートリアージの減少が予後改善に寄与するとされているが，本邦では病院前の重症外傷選定基準に関する研究は少ない。そこで，受傷機転と生理学的・解剖学的所見による複合的基準が重症外傷のアンダートリアージ減少に関連しているか検証した。【対象】2016年10月からの2年間に横浜市指定4区で発生した外傷患者を対象に，後ろ向き観察研究を行った。現場から搬送され入院あるいは外来死亡した症例の中で，来院時心肺停止を除外し解析を行った。研究期間前半はショックを伴う頸胸腹損傷・両側大腿骨骨折を重症外傷と判定し（基準A），後半は高リスク受傷機転および生理学的・解剖学的異常所見を複合的に用いて判定した（基準B）。基準を満たさず搬送され重症外傷と診断された症例をアンダートリアージとし，各基準のアンダートリアージ率を比較した。【結果】539例の対象症例のうち，基準A運用期間は281例，基準B運用期間は258例であった。年齢や重症度は両期間とも相似していたが，緊急手術は基準B運用期間で多かった。アンダートリアージ率は，基準Aで27.6%，基準Bで18.1%であり，基準Bで有意に低かった（p=0.04）。【結語】外傷患者の搬送プロトコールにおいて，受傷機転，生理学的所見，および解剖学的所見を複合的に用いた重症患者選別基準がアンダートリアージの減少につながることが示唆された。

Comparison between Emergency Severity Index plus Capnometer and Emergency Severity Index in the dyspneic patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Background: The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) may not recognize high-risk patients with Heart Failure efficiently.Aim: The goal of this work was to compare the diagnostic validity and mistriage rates of the ESI plus the Capnometer (Capno) and ESI among dyspneic patients with heart failure (HF).Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental group (random assignment) conducted from April 2019 to February 2020. Patients randomly assigned to the ESI+Capno or ESI groups. Triage levels, resources used, disposition and door to ECG and physician visit were compared among patients admitted to the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), the Cardiac Unit (CU), or discharged from the ED. Interobserver agreement (Kappa) was used to assess reliability of the ESI.Results: Sixty-five HF patients were assigned to the ESI+Capno (n=36) and ESI (n=29) groups. The under-triage rates were 0% and 10%, the over-triage rates were 10% and 31% in the ESI+Capno and ESI groups, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy to recognize high-risk HF patients were 100%, 60%, 90% and 62.5%, 42.86%, 48.36% for ESI+Capno and ESI groups, respectively.Implication for Practice: Addition of Capnometer to the ESI increases validity of triage decisions to recognize high-risk HF patients compared to ESI alone. It is recommended that decision to triage HF patients be made after an End-tidal Co2 is considered into decision-making process.

Validity of the computerized version of the pediatric triage system CLARIPED for emergency care

ObjectiveTo evaluate the validity of the computerized version of the pediatric triage system CLARIPED. MethodsProspective, observational study in a tertiary emergency department (ED) from Jan-2018 to Jan-2019. A convenience sample of patients aged 0-18 years who had computerized triage and outcome variables registered. Construct validity was assessed through the association between urgency levels and patient outcomes. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), undertriage, and overtriage rates were assessed. Results19,122 of 38,321 visits were analyzed. The urgency levels were: RED (emergency) 0.02%, ORANGE (high urgency) 3.21%, YELLOW (urgency) 35.69%, GREEN (low urgency) 58.46%, and BLUE (no urgency) 2.62%. The following outcomes increased according to the increase in the level of urgency: hospital admission (0.4%, 0.6%, 3.1%, 11.9% and 25%), stay in the ED observation room (2.8%, 4.7%, 15.9%, 40.4%, 50%), ≥ 2 diagnostic or therapeutic resources (7.8%, 16.5%, 33.7%, 60.6%, 75%), and ED length of stay in minutes (18, 24, 67, 120, 260). The odds of using ≥ 2 resources or being hospitalized were significantly greater in the most urgent patients (Red, Orange, and Yellow) compared to the least urgent (Green and Blue): OR 7.88 (95%CI: 5.35-11.6) and OR 2.85 (95%CI: 2.63-3.09), respectively. The sensitivity to identify urgency was 0.82 (95%CI: 0.77-0.85); specificity, 0.62 (95%CI: 0.61-0.6; NPV, 0.99 (95%CI: 0.99-1.00); overtriage rate, 4.28% and undertriage, 18.41%. ConclusionThe computerized version of CLARIPED is a valid and safe pediatric triage system, with a significant correlation with clinical outcomes, good sensitivity, and low undertriage rate.