Pre-hospital Korean Triage and Acuity Scale: the results of first and second pilot projects

¹충남대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
²단국대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
³순천향대학교 서울병원 응급의학과
⁴고려대학교 구로병원 응급의학과
⁵영남대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
⁶순천향대학교 부천병원 응급의학과
⁷전남대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
⁸가톨릭대학교 여의도성모병원 응급의학과
⁹서울대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
¹⁰경북대학교병원 응급의학과
¹¹가톨릭대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
¹²국립중앙의료원 중앙응급의료센터

Changshin Kang¹

, Han Joo Choi²

, Hyun Noh⁶

, Jae Yun Ahn¹⁰

, Eunsil Ko¹²

, Minhee Lee¹²

, Sung-keun Ko¹²

, Tae Young Lee¹²

, Eul Hee Roh¹²

, Joonbum Park³

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
³Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea
⁴Department of Emergency Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea
⁵Department of Emergency Medicine, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
⁶Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Korea
⁷Department of Emergency Medicine, Chonnam National University College of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea
⁸Department of Emergency Medicine, Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
⁹Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
¹⁰Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea
¹¹Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
¹²National Emergency Medical Center, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence

Joonbum Park ,Tel: 02-709-9117, Fax: 02-709-9083, Email: jesumania@gmail.com,

Received: October 11, 2023; Revised: October 31, 2023 Accepted: October 31, 2023. Published online: February 28, 2024.

ABSTRACT

While the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) was introduced in 2016 as a tool to identify patients at risk of catastrophic events, including death in the ED, the triage system for the pre-hospital stage still lacks evidence. The pre-hospital stage is characterized by time-sensitive and complex scenarios, where rapid and accurate decision-making is paramount to optimize patient outcomes. Despite the vital role of pre-hospital care providers, the invalidated and subjective current triage system consisting of 4-stages is still used at the pre-hospital stage, and hence, it needs to be modified to be more objective, standardized, and reliable. To improve the Korean emergency medical system, the pre-hospital KTAS (Pre-KTAS) was developed in 2020, and then two pilot projects were conducted in 2022 and 2023. This paper not only reveals the results of the first and second pilot projects for Pre-KTAS but also highlights the potential benefits of using this newly developed triage tool in the pre-hospital setting. Furthermore, this paper suggests ways to improve the emergency medical system (EMS) in Korea by improving patient safety, resource allocation, and overall emergency response efficiency.

Key words: Emergency medical services; Triage; Patient safety