Can J Emerg Med
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Prehospital Application of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale by Emergency Medical Services.
Triage is fundamental to emergency patient assessment. Effective triage systems accurately prioritize patients and help predict resource utilization. CTAS is a validated five-level triage score utilized in Emergency Departments (EDs) across Canada and internationally. Historically CTAS has been applied by triage nurses in EDs. Observational evidence suggests that the CTAS might be implemented reliably by paramedics in the prehospital setting. This is the first system-wide assessment of CTAS interrater reliability between paramedics and triage nurses during clinical practice. ⋯ Interrater reliability of CTAS scoring between triage nurses and paramedics was moderate in this system-wide implementation study.