title: Utilizing the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) in an oncology urgent care clinic: the university health network experience.
abstract: The Canadian Triage Acuity Score (CTAS) is a validated triage method used in Canadian emergency departments (ED) that groups patients according to severity of presenting illness (CIHI, 2005). According to Tanabe, Gimbel, Yarnold and Adams (2004), five-level triage systems can be utilized in order to benchmark with similar programs. CTAS, a five-level triage system, can also be used as an instrument to determine triage quality and to predict admission rates, hospital length of stay and diagnostic utilization (Jiminez et al., 2003). In June 2009, Princess Margaret Hospital launched REACH (Reducing Emergent and Acute Care Hospitalization), an oncology-specific urgent care clinic. In order to appropriately utilize resources, assist patients in a timely manner according to acuity, and compare and contrast data to that which is traditionally reported from our area EDs, we implemented the use of a validated triage methodology, CTAS, in this urgent care clinic. The following paper describes the University Health Network experience with utilizing CTAS in an oncology population.
authors.affiliation: Princess Margaret Hospital, REACH Clinic, University of Toronto Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing. kathy.trip@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Trip
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boloorchi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berman
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002170:Canada; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration*