CHAPTER 2: THE AUSTRALASIAN TRIAGE SCALE
CHAPTER 2: THE AUSTRALASIAN TRIAGE SCALE
Statement of purpose
This chapter focuses on the research evidence that has supported the implementation of the ATS.
The purposes of this chapter are to:
• Provide an overview of the ATS and its expected outcomes;
• Discuss factors that influence the validity and the reliability of the ATS; and
• Identify how the ATS is used as a quality indicator in Australian EDs.
Learning outcomes
After completing this chapter, participants will have developed knowledge of the outcomes of the ATS.
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Learning objectives
• Describe the five categories of the ATS in terms of time-to-treatment and clinical descriptors.
• Consider how triage decisions are used to assess ED performance.
• Discuss the major environmental factors that threaten consistency of triage.
Key points
• The ATS aims to provide a timely assessment of all people who present to the ED on the basis of clinical criteria.
• The time-to-treatment criteria attached to the ATS categories describe the maximum time a patient can safely wait for medical assessment and treatment.
• The decision to allocate a triage code using the ATS should take no more than five minutes.
• Each ED presentation must be assessed as a unique episode of illness / injury that is independent of chronicity and frequency of presentation.
Department of Health and Ageing – Emergency Triage Education Kit