• Julia Crilly, Amy Sweeny, John O'Dwyer, Brent Richards, David Green, and Andrea P Marshall.
• Emergency Department, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Gold Coast University Hospital, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport, QLD 4215, Australia; Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Southport, QLD 4215, Australia. Electronic address: Julia.Crilly@health.qld.gov.au.
• Aust Crit Care. 2021 May 1; 34 (3): 195-203.

BackgroundEmergency department (ED) triage is the process of prioritising patients by medical urgency. Delays in intensive care unit (ICU) admission can adversely affect patients.ObjectivesThis study aimed to identify characteristics associated with ICU admission for patients triaged as Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) 3 but subsequently admitted to the ICU within 24 h of triage.MethodsThis retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted in a public teaching hospital in Queensland, Australia. Patients older than 18 y triaged with an ATS 3 and admitted to the ICU within 24 h of triage or admitted to the ward between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2012, were included. The demographic and clinical profiles of ICU admissions vs. all other ward admissions for patients triaged an ATS of 3 were compared. Multivariable regression analysis compared characteristics of patients triaged with an ATS of 3 who did and did not require ICU transfer. Descriptive data are reported as n (%) and median and interquartile range (IQR). Regression analysis is reported as adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).ResultsOf the 27 454 adult ED presentations triaged with an ATS of 3, 22.4% (n = 6138) required hospital admission, comprising 5302 individuals, 2.1% of whom (n = 110) were admitted to the ICU within 24 h of triage. Age- and sex-adjusted predictors of ICU admission for patients triaged with an ATS of 3 included infectious (aOR: 3.7; 95% CI: 2.0-6.9), neurological (aOR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.6-5.0), and gastrointestinal disorders (aOR: 2.2; 95% CI 1.2-3.5); arriving by ambulance; arriving after hours; or arriving on weekends. Regardless of diagnosis or sex, persons older than 80 y were less likely to be admitted to the ICU (aOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2-0.8).ConclusionsPatients triaged as ATS 3 presenting on weekends or after hours, and those with infectious, gastrointestinal, or neurological conditions warrant careful attention as these factors were associated with higher odds of ICU admission. Ongoing staff education regarding triage and signs of deterioration are important to prevent avoidable outcomes.Copyright © 2020 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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