The speed and accuracy of prehospital triage for simulated disaster patients: Comparing prehospital emergency triage rapid algorithm (PETRA) and simple triage and rapid treatment (START)
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Hossam Alhawatmeh 1 * , Saed Rawashdeh 1 , Sawsan Abuhammad 2 3 , Mahmoud T Alwidyan 4 , Raya Albataineh 5
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1 Department of Adult Health, College of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JORDAN2 Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE3 Department of Maternal and Child Health, College of Nursing, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JORDAN4 Program of Paramedics, College of Allied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irdid, JORDAN5 Department of Healthcare Management and Policy, College of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JORDAN* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Objectives: The prehospital emergency triage rapid algorithm (PETRA) method was designed to overcome the deficiencies of the earlier described simple triage and rapid treatment (START) method. This study has compared the START and PETRA triage methods regarding the appropriateness of triaging victims following a simulated mass casualty incident in terms of accuracy and time efficiency. The two triage systems were compared.
Methods: This was a prospective study using a convenience sample of randomly distributed paramedic students between September 2022 and December 2022 at the Civil Defense College in Amman. Sample 102 students of the paramedic diploma program at the College. Total time of prehospital triage, accuracy of prehospital triage, level of under triage, and level of over triage were measured for both study groups.
Results: Independent t-test revealed that there was no significant difference between the PETRA and START methods in terms of the prehospital triage accuracy, time spent in prehospital triage, and level of over triage. However, the level of under triage in the PETRA group was lower compared to the START group.
Conclusion: The study proposes that the paramedic should adopt the PETRA method as an improved alternative to the START method during a massive causality incident. In the same way, this research encourages the incorporation of the PETRA method in the curricula of paramedics and nurses. More research is required to support the existing findings.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 21, Issue 5, October 2024, Article No: em608

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/15208

Publication date: 26 Sep 2024

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