Dataset Information

Emergency centre triage category allocations and their associated patient flow timeframes in a private healthcare group in the Middle East.

ABSTRACT:

Aims and objectives

To identify and describe triage category allocations and their associated patient pathway timeframes in four emergency centres of a large private healthcare group in the United Arab Emirates.

Background

The classification of patients in accordance with their acuity level is a complex task that requires quick and accurate allocation. Triage system categories have predetermined timeframes in which patients should be seen by a physician or treatment initiated for the best possible outcome.

Design and methods

An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted through the prospective capture and evaluation of medical records from patients triaged in each of the four emergency centres (two hospitals and two clinics) over a period of a month. The STROBE statement was used as a reporting framework. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the timeframes associated with the patient pathway through each EC and contrasted against their allocated triage category.

Results

A total of 4,432 patient records were eligible for analysis from the four emergency centres. Triage category 4 (54.7%) was allocated the most with only a single category 1 patient seen between the four emergency centres. The median time from registration to triage was <10 min and triage to physician consult was <25 min. The overall length of stay of high-acuity cases was between 1 hr 13 min-2 hr 44 min, compared with low-acuity cases being 32-49 min. Overall time to physician was substantially lower than the targets set by the triage systems itself.

SUBMITTER: Dippenaar E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6805326 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Emergency centre triage category allocations and their associated patient flow timeframes in a private healthcare group in the Middle East.

Dippenaar Enrico E

Nursing open 20190729 4

<h4>Aims and objectives</h4>To identify and describe triage category allocations and their associated patient pathway timeframes in four emergency centres of a large private healthcare group in the United Arab Emirates.<h4>Background</h4>The classification of patients in accordance with their acuity level is a complex task that requires quick and accurate allocation. Triage system categories have predetermined timeframes in which patients should be seen by a physician or treatment initiated for ...[more]

PMID: 31660167

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Project description:BackgroundOvercrowding in emergency departments is a worldwide problem. A systematic literature review was undertaken to scientifically explore which interventions improve patient flow in emergency departments.MethodsA systematic literature search for flow processes in emergency departments was followed by assessment of relevance and methodological quality of each individual study fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Studies were excluded if they did not present data on waiting time, length of stay, patients leaving the emergency department without being seen or other flow parameters based on a nonselected material of patients. Only studies with a control group, either in a randomized controlled trial or in an observational study with historical controls, were included. For each intervention, the level of scientific evidence was rated according to the GRADE system, launched by a WHO-supported working group.ResultsThe interventions were grouped into streaming, fast track, team triage, point-of-care testing (performing laboratory analysis in the emergency department), and nurse-requested x-ray. Thirty-three studies, including over 800,000 patients in total, were included. Scientific evidence on the effect of fast track on waiting time, length of stay, and left without being seen was moderately strong. The effect of team triage on left without being seen was relatively strong, but the evidence for all other interventions was limited or insufficient.ConclusionsIntroducing fast track for patients with less severe symptoms results in shorter waiting time, shorter length of stay, and fewer patients leaving without being seen. Team triage, with a physician in the team, will probably result in shorter waiting time and shorter length of stay and most likely in fewer patients leaving without being seen. There is only limited scientific evidence that streaming of patients into different tracks, performing laboratory analysis in the emergency department or having nurses to request certain x-rays results in shorter waiting time and length of stay.

Project description:BackgroundMultiple studies have explored the use of active learning strategies among faculty members in different healthcare colleges worldwide, however, very few have described the use of these strategies in the Middle East. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of the implementation of active learning and its various techniques across different fields of healthcare education in various countries in the Middle East.MethodsA Web-based questionnaire was developed to obtain information on the use of active learning methods. This survey was disseminated among faculty members in healthcare colleges in 17 Middle Eastern countries.ResultsOut of 22,734 online invitations that were sent to faculty members in different healthcare colleges, 2085 (9.17%) accepted the invitations, however, only 722 (34.63%) of those who agreed to participate filled out the questionnaire. Eighty-seven percent of the responders utilized at least one technique of active learning. Active learning was used more frequently by female responders. For example, 54.30% of the female responders reported using learning by teaching as one of their teaching methods compared to 41.30% of their male counterparts (p = 0.0005). The various forms of active learning were used at similar levels in both public and private healthcare colleges. Only minor differences were seen among different age groups or academic positions of the responders, but significant variabilities were noted among the several fields of healthcare education. For example, 61.54% of responders from the nursing faculty reported using reaction to videos as one of their teaching methods compared to 31.11% of their counterparts in the faculty of dentistry (p = 0.0021). The most frequently reported obstacles interfering with the effectuation of active learning include the lack of technical support and time constraints.ConclusionsAlthough some barriers to the implementation of active learning exist, it is extensively used by faculty members in healthcare colleges in the Middle East.

Dataset Information

Emergency centre triage category allocations and their associated patient flow timeframes in a private healthcare group in the Middle East.

Aims and objectives

Background

Design and methods

Results

Publications

Emergency centre triage category allocations and their associated patient flow timeframes in a private healthcare group in the Middle East.

Similar Datasets

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