Emergency Room Triage Area

This space often is not enclosed.

Emergency room triage area.

Triage ˈ t r iː ɑː ʒ t r i ˈ ɑː ʒ is the process of determining the priority of patients treatments by the severity of their condition or likelihood of recovery with and without treatment this rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. When patients report to the emergency department of upmc western maryland our staff uses a method called triage to determine who needs to be seen first what this means is that we evaluate the severity of patient symptoms rather than take patients back to a room in the emergency department based on the order they checked in. In a walk in clinic or emergency department an interview with a triage nurse is a common first step to receiving care. Facilities should make sure triage procedures are compliant with hipaa guidance and consider a multi step screening process to ensure patients with symptoms are not missed prior to entering the treatment area.

An open room with recliners separated by cubicle curtains or partitions. The classic emergency room scene involves an ambulance screeching to a halt a gurney hurtling through the hallway and five people frantically working to save a person s life with only seconds to spare. For those responsible for the triage of patients arriving in the emergency department the purpose of triage is to determine to which predesignated patient care area the patient should be sent the locations to which the patients are triaged establishes priorities for care. This position is an advanced rn practitioner or physician assistant who works in the triage area alongside the triage nurse to help.

Emergency department triage is increasingly instrumental in ensuring high quality timely care. A cluster of triage rooms with support areas for staff. A nurse or physician is located at the ed entry to make an immediate patient assessment. Carolyn townend has been working behind the triage desk for eight years and has been a nurse for closer to 15 so she knows how crucial the triage process is in ensuring the busy department runs smoothly.

Following triage patients either moved to an ed room or if not critically ill may have had to wait for care. Influencing the order and priority of emergency treatment emergency transport. He or she generally takes a brief medical history of the complaint and measures vital signs heart rate respiratory rate temperature and blood pressure in order to identify seriously ill persons who must receive immediate care. The most common triaging system is the 4 level system.

Hers is one of the first faces a patient might see when they walk through the doors of the emergency department at st. While the process for screening depends on facility layout and staffing the general steps include.