Journal Article

The Copenhagen Triage Algorithm: a randomized controlled trial

Rasmussen, Lars S., Lind, Morten, Jensen, Birgitte Nybo, Hasselbalch, Rasmus Bo, Plesner, Louis Lind, Pries-Heje, Mia, Greibe, Rasmus, Iversen, Kasper, Ravn, Lisbet

2016

Overview

Background Crowding in the emergency department (ED) is a well-known problem resulting in an increased risk of adverse outcomes. Effective triage might counteract this problem by identifying the sickest patients and ensuring early treatment. In the last two decades, systematic triage has become the standard in ED’s worldwide. However, triage models are also time consuming, supported by limited evidence and could potentially be of more harm than benefit. The aim of this study is to develop a quicker triage model using data from a large cohort of unselected ED patients and evaluate if this new model is non-inferior to an existing triage model in a prospective randomized trial. Methods The Copenhagen Triage Algorithm (CTA) study is a prospective two-center, cluster-randomized, cross-over, non-inferiority trial comparing CTA to the Danish Emergency Process Triage (DEPT). We include patients ≥16 years ( n  = 50.000) admitted to the ED in two large acute hospitals. Centers are randomly assigned to perform either CTA or DEPT triage first and then use the other triage model in the last time period. The CTA stratifies patients into 5 acuity levels in two steps. First, a scoring chart based on vital values is used to classify patients in an immediate category. Second, a clinical assessment by the ED nurse can alter the result suggested by the score up to two categories up or one down. The primary end-point is 30-day mortality and secondary end-points are length of stay, time to treatment, admission to intensive care unit, and readmission within 30 days. Discussion If proven non-inferior to standard DEPT triage, CTA will be a faster and simpler triage model that is still able to detect the critically ill. Simplifying triage will lessen the burden for the ED staff and possibly allow faster treatment. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02698319 , registered 24. of February 2016, retrospectively registered

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Algorithms / Blood pressure / Care and treatment / Clinical trials / Critical Illness / Cross-Over Studies / Denmark - epidemiology / Emergency medical care / Emergency Medicine / Female / Heart rate / Hospital Mortality - trends / Hospitals / Humans / Intensive Care Units - organization & administration / Length of stay / Male / Medical care / Medical students / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Methods / Mortality / Oxygen saturation / Patients / Phlebotomy / Prospective Studies / Quality management / Regression analysis / Study Protocol / Survival Rate - trends / Trauma / Traumatic Surgery / Triage (Medicine) / Triage - methods / Vital signs / Wounds and Injuries - diagnosis / Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology / Wounds and Injuries - therapy