Implementation of a fast triage score for patients arriving to a low resource
hospital in Uganda
Dublin Core
Title
Implementation of a fast triage score for patients arriving to a low resource
hospital in Uganda
hospital in Uganda
Subject
Triage
Emergency department
Low resource setting
Sub-Saharan Africa
Emergency department
Low resource setting
Sub-Saharan Africa
Description
Background: The Kitovu Fast Triage (KFT) score predicts imminent mortality from mental status, gait and either
respiratory rate or oxygen status. As some non-life-threatening conditions require immediate attention, the South
African Triage System (SATS) assigns arbitrary rankings of urgency for specific patient presentations.
Aim: Establish the feasibility of determining and then comparing the KFT score and explicitly defined SATS
urgency rankings.
Methods: A computerized proforma used standardized methods of assessing and measuring mental status and
gait, and respiratory rate and collected explicitly defined clinical presentations and SATS urgency rankings on
4,842 patients at the time of their arrival to the hospital.
Results: 75 % of patients were awake and able to count the months backwards from December to September.
Respiratory rates measured by a computer application had no clustering of values or digit preference; however,
oximetry failed in 14 % of patients, making the score based on respiratory rate the most practical in our setting.
Determining the SATS acuity ranking and both KFT scores usually took <90 s; the commonest complaints were
pain, dyspnoea, and fever, which often occurred together; overall 3574 (73.8 %) patients had at least one of these
symptoms as did 96.4 % of those with the highest KFT score based on respiratory rate. 12 % of patients with the
lowest KFT score based on respiratory rate had one or more very urgent SATS rankings, 52 % of whom had nonsevere chest pain. Only 5.7 % of patients complaining of fever had a temperature >38 ◦C.
Conclusion: Whilst the KFT score based on respiratory rate could be rapidly determined in all patients, it identified some patients as low acuity who had very urgent SATS rankings. However, most of these patients had nonsevere chest pain, which may not be a very urgent presentation in our setting as ischaemic heart disease remains
uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa.
respiratory rate or oxygen status. As some non-life-threatening conditions require immediate attention, the South
African Triage System (SATS) assigns arbitrary rankings of urgency for specific patient presentations.
Aim: Establish the feasibility of determining and then comparing the KFT score and explicitly defined SATS
urgency rankings.
Methods: A computerized proforma used standardized methods of assessing and measuring mental status and
gait, and respiratory rate and collected explicitly defined clinical presentations and SATS urgency rankings on
4,842 patients at the time of their arrival to the hospital.
Results: 75 % of patients were awake and able to count the months backwards from December to September.
Respiratory rates measured by a computer application had no clustering of values or digit preference; however,
oximetry failed in 14 % of patients, making the score based on respiratory rate the most practical in our setting.
Determining the SATS acuity ranking and both KFT scores usually took <90 s; the commonest complaints were
pain, dyspnoea, and fever, which often occurred together; overall 3574 (73.8 %) patients had at least one of these
symptoms as did 96.4 % of those with the highest KFT score based on respiratory rate. 12 % of patients with the
lowest KFT score based on respiratory rate had one or more very urgent SATS rankings, 52 % of whom had nonsevere chest pain. Only 5.7 % of patients complaining of fever had a temperature >38 ◦C.
Conclusion: Whilst the KFT score based on respiratory rate could be rapidly determined in all patients, it identified some patients as low acuity who had very urgent SATS rankings. However, most of these patients had nonsevere chest pain, which may not be a very urgent presentation in our setting as ischaemic heart disease remains
uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa.
Creator
Jjukira Vianney a
, Immaculate Nakitende a
, Joan Nabiryo a
, Henry Kalema b
, Sylivia Namuleme c
,
John Kellett d,*
, on behalf of the Kitovu Hospital Study Group
, Immaculate Nakitende a
, Joan Nabiryo a
, Henry Kalema b
, Sylivia Namuleme c
,
John Kellett d,*
, on behalf of the Kitovu Hospital Study Group
Source
https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/280685/1-s2.0-S2211419X23X00056/1-s2.0-S2211419X24000016/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEKD%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJHMEUCIHoZQVSm2k4j7Wxqt0%2FPUYmGy0f22gQ%2BGIXeLiHh6hjhAiEAq5RKxWallV8QUhrpA0Dj2VSOXTmqwO%2FUtlSpfNtCTz4qvAUIif%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAFGgwwNTkwMDM1NDY4NjUiDJZI4AtWX%2B5F1QmPwSqQBRMymlEpC%2B6CciBp6xHn9R5276kkC99FPiDIc4TNyJPUSbIXQzeOG7N39s7x53K3d1mTofsmRW9TzyAO4T%2F2lHhZ1pCcJunciUb0oM7CZI1LzmXsJBujbq1sK3zN6kGOGmZ54VDrasao1Pc%2BY3m0Yv6rKJa9w832z6vs96W2xHj%2F%2F3qeVg%2BxdBznA9Glk8n0k8sBPKMBqRtFT%2BpSFUq8FA%2Bo6av2TCJPIxGzRBESvvObYCtTSAoS8WkkSpWdL2gyXYtSZvS7w1MgSitZR%2FRmarbwqPyf9pmx9ngFmIsr3TBsqbOx0O54BU64vz6Ao%2BjrUo1wkMwVtjtejmPFtTDM0My%2B8BlvYCSqHmOGOmIl1hMTDaFzTMajMqygGRf9I9MwIbjk1S2keF64zskmsU%2FXVn6wUJ%2Be5XZ3ZWZ90mlsZtXEmRwuvydE5exmN%2FwMc3DCrLtEbSNHVTIBsRS%2FhsYpbh2P4bC65jTt%2BtuUGdV1lEAorKf1YJ60ifOzCzmXbZTgCMMsbWqVKsrnhT4dYDDB0nqSWev6OUvmKEX4NSLiGOS%2F44%2FjZwSADENwxF3OmN1Y0%2BnVRCKyXncxUvJvbNqlZUnThgIguyAhehjRRaovLLPNl8RStKRA8%2B2YIEHtTKi1PeS%2FIyJPx3624txYpt1NWhkvFIlUKnPravWSc1Jf3UYKGd%2FWrSG3AWvDClCZT2hDPK6dp0LgtMrBsPFlFF%2FGvahKEDXiCgfrLiolzrpzlf29NpAJxm6nJJmoAkEoeeE%2FJkscG1EcxXE6PjdwlHww94LGwv2UOPLfIgCi5iRDQ75c2fJSvidYk9%2B0IJEgTWxV%2BIOKg9nYLpU0CAmcvw3tl2Mo2gtlXugFXHxWOBPlPJn4MMXVycIGOrEBgULu9bYdTI7KzIyiXrZlkAUr%2FU28nT4anrKyMBy%2FIIca0PtCxrpZAEaLaejZ4vdBlJLqMi3BoJv7was0CopE8pvGmizraNjAT2ZHfkGZEy2qd09xWxxe%2FHZeY6Cs%2FEO3BxDKxNHzzgVk9Sc7hZ3OVEaG8MVZKjrTtyfSFj0ika7A2MijGaqVWshNBBoYWYZ99LULhntrT5veXZmbJZX%2FMOYys0vfWZxrGr3UP68QvOhN&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20250618T082104Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTY36H5CYDE%2F20250618%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=d6c78ca59740ae4bfc35155ac9e493a0ab7e40f8dbaa8b364da97476a0d6849f&hash=9edeca9cc4d3ddeba945b49d60611ce9a36ab0fe6aab0d6e271f0429191936e0&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S2211419X24000016&tid=spdf-561d61e5-60c6-4f5d-be61-ab61ae3a4fc6&sid=14b8a1eb7498d34787591540b87a02ee8336gxrqb&type=client&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ua=13025d5355595201040306&rr=95195efce82be77a&cc=id
Publisher
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2211419X24000016
Date
5 january 2024
Contributor
Fajar Bagus W
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Text
Files
Citation
Jjukira Vianney a
, Immaculate Nakitende a
, Joan Nabiryo a
, Henry Kalema b
, Sylivia Namuleme c
,
John Kellett d,*
, on behalf of the Kitovu Hospital Study Group , “Implementation of a fast triage score for patients arriving to a low resource
hospital in Uganda,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed June 20, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/9553.
hospital in Uganda,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed June 20, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/9553.