EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRIAGE PROTOCOLS AT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF DIVISIONAL HEAD QUARTER MIRPUR AJK
Keywords:
Emergency Department; Triage; Triage Protocols; Patient Prioritisation; Waiting Time; Emergency Care; Patient Satisfaction; Azad Jammu and Kashmir.Abstract
Background: Effective triage is essential for prioritising emergency patients according to clinical urgency and ensuring timely care. However, evidence regarding emergency department triage practices in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) remains limited.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of existing triage protocols in the Emergency Department of Divisional Head Quarter Teaching Hospital, Mirpur, AJK.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted over six months following approval of the study synopsis. A total of 235 patients aged ≥18 years presenting with acute medical or trauma-related conditions were included. Data were collected using a pre-approved structured questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics. Frequencies and percentages were used for descriptive analysis, while Pearson’s chi-square test of independence was applied to assess associations between categorical variables. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.
Results: Males constituted 70.2% of participants, while 62.1% were aged 18–30 years. Road traffic accidents (26.4%), burns (25.1%), and falls (20.0%) were the most frequently reported emergencies. Most patients (83.0%) received initial triage within 15 minutes, and none waited more than 30 minutes. Red-category patients comprised 61.7% of the sample, followed by Green (26.0%), Yellow (11.5%), and Black (0.8%) categories. Significant associations were observed between waiting time and triage level (χ²(3) = 56.90, p < .001), pain severity and triage level (χ²(4) = 12.95, p = .011), staff behaviour and patient satisfaction (χ²(6) = 6.97, p = .032), and type of injury/emergency and triage level (χ²(18) = 46.72, p = .002).
Conclusion: The study found that triage assessment was generally performed within a short timeframe, with significant relationships between triage category and selected clinical and service-related characteristics. The findings provide preliminary institution-specific evidence regarding emergency triage practices in AJK. Further multicentre studies using validated triage instruments and objective clinical outcomes are warranted to assess triage accuracy, reliability, and generalisability.
