An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study

Triage systems have remained largely unchanged since the 1990s and rely on expert consensus, with no single system consistently outperforming others in accurately identifying critically ill or urgent patients. This study aimed to determine whether incorporating additional tools improves the predicti...

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Main Authors: Arian Zaboli, Francesco Brigo, Serena Sibilio, Gloria Brigiari, Magdalena Massar, Norbert Pfeifer, Marta Parodi, Eleonora Rella, Gianni Turcato
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PAGEPress Publications 2025-02-01
Series:Emergency Care Journal
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Online Access:https://www.pagepressjournals.org/ecj/article/view/13269
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author Arian Zaboli
Francesco Brigo
Serena Sibilio
Gloria Brigiari
Magdalena Massar
Norbert Pfeifer
Marta Parodi
Eleonora Rella
Gianni Turcato
author_facet Arian Zaboli
Francesco Brigo
Serena Sibilio
Gloria Brigiari
Magdalena Massar
Norbert Pfeifer
Marta Parodi
Eleonora Rella
Gianni Turcato
author_sort Arian Zaboli
collection DOAJ
description Triage systems have remained largely unchanged since the 1990s and rely on expert consensus, with no single system consistently outperforming others in accurately identifying critically ill or urgent patients. This study aimed to determine whether incorporating additional tools improves the predictive accuracy of the Manchester Triage System (MTS). A prospective, monocentric study was conducted at Merano Hospital (Italy) from June 1st to December 31st, 2023. A triage nurse and two ED physicians assigned patient priorities. The cohort was split for model derivation and validation. An ordinal logistic regression model was developed using MTS, the National Early Warning Score, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index, then tested on a validation cohort, bootstrapped to 5000 cases. Of the 1270 patients enrolled, 821 were in the derivation cohort and 449 in the validation cohort. The model outperformed MTS alone in most outcomes, except for predicting death at 72 hours and 7 days. Decision Curve Analysis confirmed its superiority in identifying urgent cases. Integrating multiple tools into triage models can enhance their performance, improving patient prioritization accuracy.
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issn 2282-2054
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series Emergency Care Journal
spelling doaj-art-9285eb2085ce4086aec3ff7bea329add2025-08-20T02:00:29ZengPAGEPress PublicationsEmergency Care Journal2282-20542025-02-0110.4081/ecj.2025.13269An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) studyArian Zaboli0Francesco Brigo1Serena Sibilio2Gloria Brigiari3Magdalena Massar4Norbert Pfeifer5Marta Parodi6Eleonora Rella7Gianni Turcato8Innovation, Research and Teaching Service (SABES-ASDAA), Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), BolzanoInnovation, Research and Teaching Service (SABES-ASDAA), Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), BolzanoUniversität Basel Department Public Health, Institute of Nursing Science, Basel, BSUnit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, PadovaInnovation, Research and Teaching Service (SABES-ASDAA), Teaching Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU), BolzanoDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of Merano-Meran (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy; Lehrkrankenhaus der Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität, SalzburgDepartment of Internal Medicine, Intermediate Care Unit, Hospital Alto Vicentino (AULSS-7), SantorsoDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Hospital of Merano-Meran (SABES-ASDAA), Merano-Meran, Italy; Lehrkrankenhaus der Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität, SalzburgDepartment of Internal Medicine, Intermediate Care Unit, Hospital Alto Vicentino (AULSS-7), SantorsoTriage systems have remained largely unchanged since the 1990s and rely on expert consensus, with no single system consistently outperforming others in accurately identifying critically ill or urgent patients. This study aimed to determine whether incorporating additional tools improves the predictive accuracy of the Manchester Triage System (MTS). A prospective, monocentric study was conducted at Merano Hospital (Italy) from June 1st to December 31st, 2023. A triage nurse and two ED physicians assigned patient priorities. The cohort was split for model derivation and validation. An ordinal logistic regression model was developed using MTS, the National Early Warning Score, and the Charlson Comorbidity Index, then tested on a validation cohort, bootstrapped to 5000 cases. Of the 1270 patients enrolled, 821 were in the derivation cohort and 449 in the validation cohort. The model outperformed MTS alone in most outcomes, except for predicting death at 72 hours and 7 days. Decision Curve Analysis confirmed its superiority in identifying urgent cases. Integrating multiple tools into triage models can enhance their performance, improving patient prioritization accuracy. https://www.pagepressjournals.org/ecj/article/view/13269Triageaccuracypatient prioritizationearly warning scoreemergency nursetriage model
spellingShingle Arian Zaboli
Francesco Brigo
Serena Sibilio
Gloria Brigiari
Magdalena Massar
Norbert Pfeifer
Marta Parodi
Eleonora Rella
Gianni Turcato
An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study
Emergency Care Journal
Triage
accuracy
patient prioritization
early warning score
emergency nurse
triage model
title An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study
title_full An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study
title_fullStr An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study
title_full_unstemmed An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study
title_short An alternative perspective on triage systems: the Progressive Real-world Optimization of Triage System (PROGRESS) study
title_sort alternative perspective on triage systems the progressive real world optimization of triage system progress study
topic Triage
accuracy
patient prioritization
early warning score
emergency nurse
triage model
url https://www.pagepressjournals.org/ecj/article/view/13269
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