TY - JOUR
T1 - The Emergency Severity Index (version 3) 5-level triage system scores predict ED resource consumption
AU - Tanabe, Paula
AU - Gimbel, Rick
AU - Yarnold, Paul R.
AU - Adams, James G.
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported by an Excellence in Academic Medicine grant from the State of Illinois and Northwestern Memorial Hospital and an endowed fund donated by Abra Prentice Wilkin to emergency medicine. Dr Tanabe is currently supported as a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine under an institutional award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. None of the authors has any relationships with any companies that would compromise the integrity of the project.
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - Objectives: The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) version 3 is a valid and reliable 5-level triage instrument that is gaining in popularity. A unique component of the ESI algorithm is prediction of resource consumption. Our objective was to validate the ESI version 3 triage algorithm in a clinical setting for the following outcome measures: actual resource consumption and patient length of stay in the emergency department and hospital. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study of 403 ED patients who presented to a large academic medical center. The following dependant variables were abstracted from the ED record: number of ED resources used and emergency department and hospital length of stay. The relationship between ESI level and each of the dependent variables was determined. Results: Mean resource use decreased monotonically as a function of ESI level 1 (5), 2 (3.89), 3 (3.3), 4 (1.2) and 5 (0.2). The ED average length of stay (minutes) per ESI level was as follows: 1 (195), 2 (255), 3 (304), 4 (193), and 5 (98). ESI triage level did not predict hospital length of stay. Conclusions: The ESI algorithm accurately predicted ED resource intensity and gives administrators the opportunity to benchmark ED length of stay according to triage acuity level.
AB - Objectives: The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) version 3 is a valid and reliable 5-level triage instrument that is gaining in popularity. A unique component of the ESI algorithm is prediction of resource consumption. Our objective was to validate the ESI version 3 triage algorithm in a clinical setting for the following outcome measures: actual resource consumption and patient length of stay in the emergency department and hospital. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study of 403 ED patients who presented to a large academic medical center. The following dependant variables were abstracted from the ED record: number of ED resources used and emergency department and hospital length of stay. The relationship between ESI level and each of the dependent variables was determined. Results: Mean resource use decreased monotonically as a function of ESI level 1 (5), 2 (3.89), 3 (3.3), 4 (1.2) and 5 (0.2). The ED average length of stay (minutes) per ESI level was as follows: 1 (195), 2 (255), 3 (304), 4 (193), and 5 (98). ESI triage level did not predict hospital length of stay. Conclusions: The ESI algorithm accurately predicted ED resource intensity and gives administrators the opportunity to benchmark ED length of stay according to triage acuity level.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jen.2003.11.004
DO - 10.1016/j.jen.2003.11.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 14765078
AN - SCOPUS:1342267540
SN - 0099-1767
VL - 30
SP - 22
EP - 29
JO - Journal of Emergency Nursing
JF - Journal of Emergency Nursing
IS - 1
ER -