Emergency Triage

Book excerpt: The Manchester Triage System (MTS) is the most widely used triagesystem in the UK, Europe and Australia, with tens of millions ofpatients being processed through hospital emergencydepartments. Emergency Triage is the core text for the MTS which utilises arisk averse system of prioritisation for patients in allunscheduled care settings, and as such it is an essential text forall emergency department staff using the MTS, in particular triagenurses themselves. The second edition has been revised throughout and takes in thechanges in practice introduced into MTS since the book was firstpublished. These include: Redesigned and expanded flow charts Additional charts for allergy and palpitations New practices - such as the possibility of revascularisation forpatients with stroke New discriminators, for example acute neurological deficit andsignificant respiratory history Redefinition of existing discriminators Also new to this edition is the incorporation of sections on theuse of the risk averse system in telephone triage, in settingswhere ‘streaming’ takes place and as an early warningscore for patients in all unscheduled care settings. The tone ofthis edition reflects the more up to date, modified approach totriage while retaining the principles of clinical prioritisation,which in the authors’ words “remains a central plank ofclinical risk management in emergency care”. Emergency Triage is an essential handbook for all cliniciansinvolved in unscheduled care settings such as emergency care, walkin centres, minor injury units, primary care out of hoursservices.