• Heejung Choi, Jong Sun Ok, and Soo Young An.
• Department of Nursing, Konkuk University, Cheongju, Korea.
• J Korean Acad Nurs. 2019 Feb 1; 49 (1): 26-35.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to identify the predictive validity of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS).MethodsThis methodological study used data from National Emergency Department Information System for 2016. The KTAS disposition and emergency treatment results for emergency patients aged 15 years and older were analyzed to evaluate its predictive validity through its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value.ResultsIn case of death in the emergency department, or where the intensive care unit admission was considered an emergency, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the KTAS were 0.916, 0.581, 0.097, and 0.993, respectively. In case of death in the emergency department, or where the intensive or non-intensive care unit admission was considered an emergency, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.700, 0.642, 0.391, and 0.867, respectively.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that the KTAS had high sensitivity but low specificity. It is necessary to constantly review and revise the KTAS level classification because it still results in a few errors of under and over-triage. Nevertheless, this study is meaningful in that it was an evaluation of the KTAS for the total cases of adult patients who sought help at regional and local emergency medical centers in 2016.© 2019 Korean Society of Nursing Science.

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