Many patients evaluated in the Emergency Department have non-emergent conditions that can be treated as an outpatient. Patients arriving at the Emergency Department can be effectively triaged using vital signs and clinical findings.
Parameters:
(1) vital signs
(2) clinical features
Vital Signs in Adolescents or Adults
Age of the Patient
Non-Emergent Range
temperature
<= 60
35 to 38.8°C
> 60
35 to 38.3°C
respiratory rate
12 to 20 breaths per minute
blood pressure, systolic
90 to 160 mm Hg
blood pressure, diastolic
60 to 110 mm Hg
pulse
<= 60
60 to 110 beats per minute
> 60
60 to 100 beats per minute
Triage to Emergency Department (Exclusions from Being Classified Nonemergent):
(1) severe pain
(2) chest or abdominal pain
(3) age < 15 years
(4) transport by ambulance
(5) inability to walk
where:
• I would think this list could be expanded to include injuries like fractures.
Patients identified as probably nonemergent by the above criteria then have a focused screening examination to look for findings warranting emergency treatment. If this exam is negative, then the patient is triaged out of the Emergency Department.
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