Validation of Modified Paediatric Triage Score in a Tertiary Care Hospital

The global burden of paediatric mortality is high and majority of the deaths are preventable by providing timely access to specialised emergency care. An appropriate triage in a busy emergency department can identify the sickest patient for early intervention. Aim: To develop a simple score based on physical variables alone and assess its validation so as to predict Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission. Materials and Methods: This prospective hospital based study included 936 children, aged 1 month to 18 years. Baseline demographic data along with clinical variables were noted in a pre-designed proforma at the time of admission. A scoring system was developed based on severity of various clinical variables i.e., heart rate, respiratory rate, respiratory effort, Oxygen Saturation (SpO2), Capillary Refill Time (CFT), temperature, level of consciousness and behaviour. The outcome i.e., admission to ward or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the patient was correlated with the study variables and total score. An association of modified PETS with the PICU admission was done using Chi-square test. A p-value of <0.01 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The modified Paediatric Triage Score (PETS) which is developed based on eight physical variables, is reliable in discriminating the children with ward and ICU admission. A score of ≥6 leads to 14.8 times higher risk of getting admitted to ICU as compared to a child with score of <6. A cut-off of ≥6 for modified PETS score has a sensitivity of 79.6% and specificity of 79.2% in predicting ICU admission. Conclusion: This simple clinically developed scoring system based on physical variables alone with an optimal cut-off of ≥6 can predict severity of illness and need for PICU admission in Emergency Department with acceptable validity and can serve as a potentially excellent screening tool.