Triage Emergency Method Version 2 (TEM v2). A new triage within hospital method

Abstract

Our aim was to check if TEM v1, a new four-level in-hospital triage with good inter- and intra-rater reliability, reaches a large consensus among Italian triage experts. Finally we tried to improve the model and to create a new model: TEM v2. A 2 round modified Delphi study was conducted including 25 triage experts. The predetermined consensus level was considered 80%. Total return rate was 72% (18/25), the return rate for round one and two was 92% (23/25) and 78% (18/23) respectively. After the first round, a set of 11 questions was sent with the new TEM v2. Eight items of round 2 reached more than 80% of consensus. Using the Delphi technique we developed from TEM v1, the new triage tool TEM v2 which reached a large consensus among a panel of triage experts. This is, to our knowledge, the first Italian study which uses the Delphi technique to reach consensus on a triage system and to improve it.

Keywords

• triage
• emergency department
• Delphi technique
• Italian emergency triage system