Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
-
This paper explores the idea that courtesy and respect between health professionals at each stage of the admission process of a patient to hospital would make life much easier and more pleasant for all staff.
-
Overcrowding in emergency departments (ED) leads to reductions in quality of care. Consequently, several different triage tools have been developed to prioritise patient intake. Differences in emergency medical services in different countries have limited the generalisation of pre-existing triage systems; for this reason, specific algorithms corresponding to local characteristics are needed. Accordingly, we developed a specific French-language triage system named Echelle Liégeoise d'Index de Sévérité à l'Admission (ELISA). This study tested its validity and efficiency. ⋯ The need for a specific, French-language triage tool in our ED led us to develop a new triage scale. This study demonstrates that the scale is a valid triage tool with high interrater and intrarater agreement and considerable efficiency.