A Nationwide Survey and System Analysis of the Emergency Triage System in The Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Abstract

Objective: To assess the present status of the emergency department (ED) triage system in 162 hospitals across the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Materials and Methods: The nationwide survey participants were ED administrators of all hospitals in Lao PDR. The standard questionnaire package was used for data collection including patients’ demographics and triage systemic factors. Descriptive analysis was applied to analysis the outcome of interest. Results: A majority of triage officers were emergency room nurses (58.6%), general physicians (20.4%), or both (11.1%). Most hospitals (89.5%) used informal triage scales such as clinical experiences or colors to prioritize ED patients. Only 17 hospitals (10.5%) had a formal triage scale in their ED care systems and used it in their practice. Conclusion: These findings provide knowledge of the ED triage system in the Lao PDR. The results indicate that the Lao PDR lacks a formal ED triage scale but uses a variety of informal scales. Thus, it is necessary to set up a standard triage system at all hospitals to standardize ED healthcare across the country.