CHAPTER 8: PAEDIATRIC TRIAGE
CHAPTER 8: PAEDIATRIC TRIAGE
Statement of purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a framework for applying the ATS to infants, children and adolescents.
Learning outcomes
After completing this chapter, participants will be able to identify the physiological and behavioural factors that inform the diagnosis of urgency in this population.
Learning objectives
• Discuss the application of the ATS to a paediatric population.
• Identify the features of serious illness in children.
• Compare available assessment tools and consider their value to triage decision-making for this population.
• Use a physiological approach to define clinical urgency and to apply the ATS to children presenting to the ED.
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Key points
• The clinical priorities and the principles of urgency for infants, children and adolescents are the same as those for adults.
• Determining urgency will require recognition of serious illness, some features of which may be different in infants and children.
• The value of parents and their capacity to identify deviations from normal in their child’ s level of function should not be underestimated.
Department of Health and Ageing – Emergency Triage Education Kit