Assessing the validity of the Triage Risk Screening Tool in a third world setting.
Background Social risk is rarely evaluated in older emergency department (ED) patients, although its identification can reduce re-attendance. Objectives This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the Triage Risk Screening Tool (TRST) in the ED of a developing country. Methods The diagnostic accuracy of the TRST to detect elderly adults in need of social service intervention was compared with routine clinical evaluation, using comprehensive evaluation by an experienced social worker as the "gold standard". The inter-rater reliability of the TRST was assessed on a separate cohort of patients prior to the main study. Results The sensitivity of the TRST was 94.7% versus 55.6% for physician assessment. The TRST had good inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa = .882), and physicians found it easy to use. Conclusion The TRST provides a rapid means of assessing risk in older ED patients. This study confirmed the validity of this screening tool in a third world setting.
['Lalla|Ravi|R|', 'Sammy|Ian|I|', 'Paul|Joanne|J|', 'Nunes|Paula|P|', 'Ramcharitar Maharaj|Vidya|V|', 'Robertson|Paula|P|']
D000368:Aged D003906:Developing Countries D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D011446:Prospective Studies D011584:Psychology D018570:Risk Assessment D012947:Social Work D000068217:Social Workers D014218:Triage D014300:Trinidad and Tobago
triage social risk emergency department Caribbean Older adults risk assessment