Oh BY, Kim K. Factors associated with the undertriage of patients with abdominal pain in an emergency room.
Int Emerg Nurs 2020;
54:100933. [PMID:
33221695 DOI:
10.1016/j.ienj.2020.100933]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
The triage process lasts for a very short time, which can result in over-triage and under-triage. Studies have explored factors related to under-triage among trauma patients. In Korea, the clinical characteristics and severity of cases of under-triaged patients have been investigated. However, there is limited research on the under-triage of patients experiencing abdominal pain. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the under-triage rate of emergency department (ED) patients with abdominal pain, as well as the factors associated with their under-triage.
METHODS
The participants of this retrospective cohort study were 3,030 adult patients at a single tertiary hospital in Korea, who were brought to the ED for abdominal pain as the chief complaint. Participants' general characteristics, pain-related information, and environmental information were obtained from their electronic medical records.
RESULTS
The under-triage rate of ED patients with abdominal pain was 31.0%. Factors related to the under-triage of these patients were sex, age, visit route, time from the onset of the pain to the visit, location of pain, and intensity of pain.
CONCLUSION
These findings provide a foundation for the understanding and mitigation of under-triage in EDs through the identification of factors associated with under-triage in patients with abdominal pain.
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