Clinical demand in an emergency care unit according to the Manchester triage system

Abstract

The general objective of the present study is to identify the clinical demand of patients cared for by nursing professionals according to the risk classification of an Emergency Care Unit, following the Manchester triage system. It is a quantitative descriptive study whose sample was composed of 364 patient records. The data was analyzed via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, using descriptive, bivariate statistics and Spearman’s correlation. The patient’s main complaints were: “Adult indisposition,” “Problems with the limbs,” “Abdominal pain,” and “Headaches.” There was inverse correlation between age and risk classification (r_s = -0.14 p=0,005), and time of admittance and risk classification (r_s = -1.02, p=0.046). We conclude that the patients classified according to risk presented urgent and non-urgent complaints. The higher the patient’s age and the later in the day they were admitted, the more severe their clinical condition.

doi: 10.5216/ree.v16i2.21700.