CTAS
The Canadian Triage & Acuity Scale (CTAS) is a tool that enables Emergency Departments (ED) to:
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Prioritize patient care and access requirements
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Examine patient flow and care processes
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Complement other workload, case mix, and resource requirement measures
The CTAS allows ED managers to:
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Capture and analyze ED patient visit based on volume, acuity and by CEDIS presenting complaint
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Determine whether the ED has an operational plan and the resources to meet patient needs
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Assess the ED’s role within the hospital and health care region
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The triage level assigned using the CTAS criteria is a mandatory data element to be used in all Canadian Hospital Emergency Departments for reporting to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
The CTAS supports ED nurses and physicians to:
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Triage patients according to acuity, risk, and care needs based on their presenting signs and symptoms
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Ensure that the sickest and highest risk patients are seen first when ED capacity has been exceeded
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Reassess patients required to wait for a treatment space