The clinical practice of Emergency Department Triage: Application of the Australasian Triage Scale—An extended literature review:

Summary 

The aim of this extended literature review was to identify themes in the current Australian and international literature that relate to the clinical application of the Australasian Triage Scale in Australian Emergency Departments. The review has been divided into three parts. Part I—The Evolution of the Australasian Triage Scale details the history of Emergency Department Triage in Australia.

In Part II themes are examined specifically in relation to their effect on the clinical application of the Australasian Triage Scale and include Validity and Reliability, Decision-making, Role and Process, Education, Outcome Measurement, Research Methodology, Emergency Nurse Practitioners, and Control and Controls.

In Part III impact of the Australasian Triage Scale on previously identified problems within the literature relating to the National Triage Scale, lack of triage education, lack of paediatric and mental health applicability, defining waiting time, doctor seen time, relevance in the rural setting, and idiosyncrasies in application, are also examined in regards to improvement since the introduction of the Australasian Triage Scale.

Finally, the evidence is examined in relation to the themes and issues raised during the extended literature review. Triage education is the overriding issue which impacts all other themes and issues within this review. Eleven specific but interrelated recommendations are made to ensure triage fulfils its ethical and moral obligations to patients who present to Australian Emergency Departments in the future.

Keywords: Australasian Triage Scale, Five-tier triage scale, Triage acuity scale, Emergency Department Triage