Accident; analysis and prevention
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Physiological measures of injury are used as triage tools to identify patients that require treatment in trauma centres. The Pre-Hospital Index (PHI) is based on systolic blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, (level of) consciousness, and presence of penetrating injury. The present study evaluated the validity and internal consistency of the PHI. ⋯ A PHI > 3 had 83% sensitivity and 67% specificity for identifying these patients. Internal consistency of the PHI variables was above the acceptable limits. This study has shown that the PHI is a valid and reliable physiological measure of injury severity and field triage tool.