title: Development of stratification criteria of green codes in a pediatric emergency department: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to find stratification criteria in a group of children assigned to the green triage category at an emergency department (ED).
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed a sample of patients admitted to the ED of Gaslini Children's Hospital in Genoa between February 2014 and January 2015 who had been given a green code on triage. We analyzed the following parameters: age, sex, nationality, reason for admission, number and type of the procedures performed, length of stay in the ED, destination on discharge, color code and diagnosis on discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 2875 patients enrolled, 258 (8.97%) were hospitalized, 135 (4.70%) were placed in short intensive observation, 1609 (55.97%) were discharged from the ED without any intervention, 829 (28.83%) were discharged after undergoing procedures (blood tests, microbiology investigation, imaging, specialist evaluation) and 44 (1.5%) spontaneously left the ED. Among the patients who were hospitalized and those kept under short intensive observation, the most frequent discharge diagnosis was gastrointestinal disease; among those patients discharged with and without undergoing procedures, the most frequent diagnosis was respiratory disease. The mean age of patients admitted to hospital and of those discharged without undergoing procedures was 46 months, while the mean ages of patients kept under short intensive observation and of those discharged after undergoing procedures were 54 and 61 months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results suggest that one of the main criteria of stratification of green codes on triage is the association between 2 variables: age and pathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Emergency, &quot;G. Gaslini&quot; Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fontanazza
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Emergency, &quot;G. Gaslini&quot; Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piccotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy - sartini@unige.it.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sartini
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cristina
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Spagnolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Emergency, &quot;G. Gaslini&quot; Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Emergency, &quot;G. Gaslini&quot; Children's Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration*