title: Development and interrater reliability of the UK Mental Health Triage Scale.
abstract: Mental health triage scales are clinical tools used at point of entry to specialist mental health service to provide a systematic way of categorizing the urgency of clinical presentations, and determining an appropriate service response and an optimal timeframe for intervention. The aim of the present study was to test the interrater reliability of a mental health triage scale developed for use in UK mental health triage and crisis services. An interrater reliability study was undertaken. Triage clinicians from England and Wales (n = 66) used the UK Mental Health Triage Scale (UK MHTS) to rate the urgency of 21 validated mental health triage scenarios derived from real occasions of triage. Interrater reliability was calculated using Kendall's coefficient of concordance (w) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) statistics. The average ICC was 0.997 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.996-0.999 (F (20, 1300) = 394.762, P < 0.001). The single measure ICC was 0.856 (95% CI: 0.776-0.926 (F (20, 1300) = 394.762, P < 0.001). The overall Kendall's w was 0.88 (P < 0.001). The UK MHTS shows substantial levels of interrater reliability. Reliable mental health triage scales employed within effective mental health triage systems offer possibilities for not only improved patient outcomes and experiences, but also for efficient use of finite specialist mental health services.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University, Geelong.
authors.forename: Natisha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sands
authors.affiliation: Centre for Psychiatric Nursing, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elsom
authors.affiliation: Princess of Wales Hospital, Cardiff, Wales.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colgate
authors.affiliation: Lynfield Mount Hospital, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, England, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haylor
authors.affiliation: Centre for Psychiatric Nursing, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Roshani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prematunga
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015588:Observer Variation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: crisis care; mental health; psychiatric emergency; triage; triage scale