Date of Award
2013
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.Sc.
Department
Nursing
Keywords
Health and environmental sciences, Canadian Triage Acuity Scale, Emergency Department triage, Emergency nursing, Emergency triage decision-making, Sepsis
Supervisor
Susan M. Fox-Wasylyshyn
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Recognition and prioritization of septic patients in the Emergency Department (ED) is a fundamental component of the management of sepsis, a condition that is frequently encountered in EDs and causes significant morbidity and mortality. However, it is not known how triage nurses determine acuity level among this group. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that predict triage acuity level among septic patients, and to examine how patients with high versus low acuity scores differed with respect to time until receipt of first antibiotic, and 28-day in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression analysis suggested that high acuity assignment was independently associated with communication barriers, acute confusion, unwell appearance, and hypotension. Further analysis suggested that those assigned high acuity triage scores had a lower mean time to first antibiotic and a higher risk of 28-day in-hospital mortality.
Recommended Citation
Petruniak, Leon Daniel, "Emergency Department Triage Acuity Assignment in Patients with Sepsis at an Academic Tertiary Care Centre: Predictors and Outcomes" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4912.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/4912