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Aim: Aim of this study is to identify signs and symptoms associated with identifying critically ill patients by rapid triage assessment performed by nurses in an emergency department., Background: In some emergency services, the immediate assessment of critically ill patients occurs before opening the hospital formal registration and it is based on the nurse's experience. Studies on the topic are essential to improve this process., Design: This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study., Methods: This study was conducted in a Brazilian emergency department in 2017. Adult patients who presented potentially life-threatening symptoms underwent rapid triage to determine the medical urgency. Those identified as being critically ill were classified as high priority and streamed to the emergency room., Results: A total of 154 (84.6%) patients were classified as high priority from the total of 182 evaluations. Altered state of consciousness (35.2%) and altered skin perfusion (25.3%) were frequently identified. Signs and symptoms associated with identifying critically ill patients by rapid triage were alterations in ventilation (OR 6.09; p = 0.028), neurological dysfunction (OR 44.96; p < 0.001) and pain (OR 5.80; p = 0.004)., Conclusion: Nurses should value neurological and ventilation alterations and pain in patients during rapid triage, since these signs and symptoms are associated with high care priority., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objectives: to correlate risk classification categories with the level of pain of patients in an emergency service., Method: cross-sectional study carried out in the Risk Classification of 611 patients. The variables studied were: age, gender, comorbidities, complaint duration, medical specialty, signs and symptoms, outcome, color attributed in the risk classification of and degree of pain. We used Analysis of Variance, a Chi-Square test and a Likelihood Ratio test., Results: the average age was 42.1 years (17.8); 59.9% were women; the green (58.9%) and yellow (22.7%) risk classification prevailed and hypertension (18.3%) was the most common Comorbidity. The most frequent pain intensity was moderate (25.9%). In the red category, patients presented a higher percentage of absence of pain; in the blue, mild pain; and in the green, yellow and orange categories, there was a greater percentage of intense pain (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: among the patients who presented pain, the majority reported moderate intensity. Regarding risk categories, most patients in the red category did not report pain. Those who were classified as green, yellow and orange, reported mostly intense pain. On the other hand, patients in the blue category reported predominantly mild pain.

Objective: to verify the degree of agreement between the levels of priority given by baccalaureate nurses in care based on risk assessment and classification and the institutional protocol, and also among peers. Method: descriptive study, using a questionnaire with thirty fictitious clinical cases based on the institutional protocol, which is considered the gold standard, answered by twenty baccalaureate nurses. Results: the agreement analysis through the Kappa Coefficient concluded that the agreement between baccalaureate nurses and the institutional protocol in relation to prioritizing the levels of severity was moderate. When the agreement among peers was evaluated, it was low, as represented by the colorimetric density in shades of light gray. Conclusion: in Brazil, some institutions have developed their own protocol, which makes it necessary to develop tools in order to evaluate the accuracy of professionals in relation to the protocols, highlighting the need for capable people to perform this activity, thus contributing to patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquiring knowledge concerning the characteristics of the population that seeks an emergency department can support the planning of health actions. This study identifies the socio-demographic profile and the main complaints of the adult population cared for in a Referral Emergency Unit (REÇU). This descriptive and retrospective study was conducted in the REÇU of a university hospital in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The sample was composed of the service's care forms generated for the period between January and December 2008. The instrument was based on data contained in the care forms. Young women (14 to 54 years old), residents of neighborhoods near the REÇU, spontaneously sought the service during the week from 7am to 7pm. The most frequent complaints were headache, back pain, abdominal and chest pain. The conclusion is that most of the sample was young adults, of productive age, female, who spontaneously sought the service on weekdays during the day. Most complaints were of low complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]