Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2018 Apr;59(4):205-209.
doi: 10.11622/smedj.2017093. Epub 2017 Oct 6.

The Singapore Paediatric Triage Scale Validation Study

Sashikumar Ganapathy  1 , Joo Guan Yeo  1 , Xing Hui Michelle Thia  1 , Geok Mei Andrea Hei  1 , Lai Peng Tham  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

The Singapore Paediatric Triage Scale Validation Study

Sashikumar Ganapathy et al. Singapore Med J. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the usefulness and validity of the triaging scale used in our emergency department (ED) by analysing its association with surrogate clinical outcome measures of severity consisting of hospitalisation rate, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of ED stay, predictive value for admission and length of hospitalisation.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted of the performance markers of the Singapore Paediatric Triage Scale (SPTS) to identify children who needed immediate and greater care. All children triaged and attended to at the paediatric ED at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 were included. Data was retrieved from the Online Paediatric Emergency Care system, which is used for patients' care from initial triaging to final disposition.

Results: Among 172,933 ED attendances, acuity levels 1, 2 plus, 2 and 3 were seen in 2.3%, 26.4%, 13.5% and 57.8% of patients, respectively. For admissions, triage acuity level 1 had a strong positive predictive value (79.5%), while triage acuity level 3 had a strong negative predictive value (93.7%). Fewer patients with triage acuity level 3 (6.3%) were admitted as compared to those with triage acuity level 1 (79.5%) (p < 0.001). There was a correlation between triage level and length of ED stay.

Conclusion: The SPTS is a valid tool for use in the paediatric emergency setting. This was supported by strong performance in important patient outcomes, such as admission to hospital, ICU admissions and length of ED stay.

Keywords: paediatric emergency medicine; paediatric triage; triage scale.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chart shows triage acuity level and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates (initial and eventual).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphs show frequency distribution of the length of hospitalisation for triage acuity levels 1, 2 plus, 2 and 3. Note: median length of stay for the different triage levels was two days.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Martins HM, Cuña LM, Freitas P. Is Manchester (MTS) more than a triage system? A study of its association with mortality and admission to a large Portuguese hospital. Emerg Med J. 2009;26:183–6. - PubMed
    1. Farrohknia N, Castrén M, Ehrenberg A, et al. Emergency department triage scales and their components:a systematic review of the scientific evidence. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2011;19:42. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bergeron S, Gouin S, Bailey B, Patel H. Comparison of triage assessments among pediatric registered nurses and pediatric emergency physicians. Acad Emerg Med. 2001;9:1397–401. - PubMed
    1. Gravel J, Fitzpatrick E, Gouin S, et al. Performance of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale for children:a multicenter database study. Ann Emerg Med. 2013;61:27–32.e3. - PubMed
    1. Gravel J, Manzano S, Arsenault M. Validity of the Canadian Paediatric Triage and Acuity Scale in a tertiary care hospital. CJEM. 2009;11:23–8. - PubMed

Publication types