Australasian Triage Scale-Free-Samples for Students Myassignment

Question: Discuss about the Australasian Triage Scale. Answer: Australasian Triage Scale The Australian Triage Scale or the ATS is a clinical tool which is being used to determine the maximum waiting time that has been implemented for medical assessments and treatment process of a patient. The prime aim of this system is to provide the patients admitted in the emergency departments with priorities regarding their medical condition (Australian College for Emergency Medicine, 2018). This helps the healthcare professionals to conduct proper treatment and patient assessment. This system was developed back in 1980s and was developed due to the chaos developed while an emergency case arrived at hospitals. Therefore ATS was implemented so that the battlefield decision-making process could be easier and efforts to save most of the lives can be taken. However, there are several misconceptions regarding Triage system in healthcare facilities (Chamberlain et al., 2015). Hence, it should be clarified that the ATS system was not developed to move people away of the healthcare facilit y or determine the importance of emergency ward in patient condition. It just determines the priority of a patient while receiving quality care within the healthcare facility. Depending upon the Australasian Triage Scale, there are 5 categories of it the details of which has been presented in the table below. Australasian Triage Scale Category Treatment Acuity Performance indicator threshold ATS 1 Immediate 100% ATS 2 10 minutes 80% ATS 3 30 minutes 75% ATS 4 60 minutes 70% ATS 5 120 minutes 70% According to this above-mentioned table, the ATS condition 1 is the immediate and life threatening condition in which immediate healthcare facility should be provided to the patient. Further simultaneous assessment and treatment becomes compulsory in this condition. On contrary, the category 5 in the ATS scale is the minor chronic situation that can be assessed and treated within two hours of time. Therefore this is the way, the Australasian Triage system helps to define a patient condition and according to that condition immediate or delayed action are against in patient conditions (Australian College for Emergency Medicine, 2018). This assessment generally takes very less time and within 10 minutes it is esteemed to deliver accurate results regarding patient conditions. Further, during clinical urgency, this measure helps to determine complexity, severity, staffing, workload, and the quality of care needed by patient. There are several experiments that have been carried out by the researchers to determine the effectiveness of this scale in determining patient condition. According to Ebrahimi et al., (2015), in a recent study conducted to determine the validity and reliability of this scale, the scale obtained fair to good range in determining the effectiveness of this scale. Further while using the ATS assessment, the Glasgow Coma Scale can also be used in the process so that patients response to a wide array of categories can be assessed. Hence through this process the responsiveness of a serious patient on the different stressful situation can be clearly understood. Therefore, the ATS level 3 and 4 seems equal if the categorical instructions are followed and enhances confusion related to the process. Further, using ATS, level 5 patients are not also identified carefully as minor or less critical symptoms deviate the assessment towards false positives (Hodge et al., 2013). Matts category In the given case study, Matts category will be category 1 of the ATS scale. While driving the quad bike he met an accident and due to which he developed severe leg and head injuries. The right leg x-ray determines that he has a fracture in his right proximal trivia and fibula. As well as, upon reaching the healthcare facility, he has been transferred into emergency department. Further, according to the case study the neurological assessment, he achieves the score of 15 that determines he will require immediate healthcare service to improve his physical condition (Hodge et al., 2013). In the healthcare department, the emergency team has already started preparing the emergency department of the system for Matt as he has the high chance to loss blood from his body due to injuries. Therefore, matt will be provided the category or the immediate healthcare facility as paramedics and healthcare professionals of the emergency department will be working together to improve the patient condit ion (Chamberlain et al., 2015). Further, Matt is suggested to undergo surgery so that the fracture can be reduced using surgery, hence, action should be taken immediately to improve patient condition. Hence, due to the excessive blood loss, multiple severe trauma, and ability to recovery, matt will be designated as the category 1 in the Australasian Triage Scale so that immediate action can be taken against the healthcare condition of Matt. References Australian College for Emergency Medicine. (2018).ACEM - Triage.Acem.org.au. Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://acem.org.au/Content-Sources/Advancing-Emergency-Medicine/Better-Outcomes-for-Patients/Triage.aspx Chamberlain, D. J., Willis, E., Clark, R., Brideson, G. (2015). Identification of the severe sepsis patient at triage: a prospective analysis of the Australasian Triage Scale.Emerg Med J,32(9), 690-697. Ebrahimi, M., Heydari, A., Mazlom, R., Mirhaghi, A. (2015). The reliability of the Australasian Triage Scale: a meta-analysis.World journal of emergency medicine,6(2), 94. Hodge, A., Hugman, A., Varndell, W., Howes, K. (2013). A review of the quality assurance processes for the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) and implications for future practice.Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal,16(1), 21-29