Triage and risk classification protocols in Pediatric emergency

a c b s v c t s o The use of triage protocols in urgency and emergency services is a key strategy for the rapid treatment of the patient with severe clinical condition. The urgency categorization and waiting time definition are considered quality indicators in patient care, especially in situations when there is a large volume of patients. Emergency service triage is a relatively recent phenomenon, introduced in 1950 in the United States. Several systems have been developed since then to guide health teams to perform the correct decision-making.1 The discussion in the literature on risk classification tools in Pediatric emergency is an ongoing one and available tools are applied in different epidemiological situations. The majority of triage scales are stratified into five urgency levels or categories. The most often used scales in Pediatrics are the PaedCTAS (The Paediatric Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale), MTS (The Manchester Triage System), ESI (Emergency Severity Index) and ATS (Australian Triage Scale), all validated with the inclusion of basic parameters of Pediatric response in acute injuries. Among these parameters, the patient’s vital data, such as respiratory rate, heart rate, level of consciousness, body temperature and oxygen saturation, in addition to the main complaint, comprise the main components.1--3 The PaedCTAS, MTS and ESI systems contain specific parts for the Pediatric population.2,4,5 In a study by van Veen & Moll, with a literature review, the MTS and