Dornbirn Hospital:

Manchester triage system to be further expanded

The emergency outpatient clinic in Dornbirn sees the largest number of patients during the day.

(Bild: Stadt Dornbirn)

Since the end of April this year, Dornbirn Hospital has been using a triage system that originated in the UK in 1995 and provides for emergency room patients to be treated according to urgency. 

Since the spring, specially trained nursing staff have been assessing the condition of incoming emergency room patients at Dornbirn City Hospital and determining how urgently they need to be seen by a doctor first. An initial evaluation of the data shows that around 73 percent are classified as "normal". According to the Manchester Triage System (MTS), the first contact with a doctor should take place within 90 minutes. Around seven percent were classified as "non-urgent" and therefore had to expect waiting times of up to 120 minutes. Around 20 percent of patients who needed medical care "immediately" or "very urgently" had to wait considerably longer. 

Graz has been relying on MTS at the University Hospital since 2009
The aim of the new system, which has also been used in Switzerland and Germany for years, is on the one hand to relieve the ambulance service, but on the other hand also to provide rapid care that can save lives in an emergency. Patients in a life-threatening condition generally require specialist clinical staff from the fields of internal medicine, traumatology and surgery. Other patients who visit the emergency outpatient clinic without an appointment do not require specialized care. Telephone health advice 1450 and general practitioner care are often sufficient.

Those responsible at the city hospital are clearly quite satisfied with the introduction of the initial assessment according to the MTS: "This combination of fast and efficient emergency care and a high level of patient loyalty due to outstanding care is a recipe for success that we will continue to expand," emphasizes Administrative Director Peter Neier. The data from a recent patient survey proves him right. 98.5 percent of those treated were satisfied with the medical care they received, while 99 percent praised the professional care provided by the nursing staff. "The positive ratings show that we offer our patients not only medical but also personal care," explained Nursing Director Bertram Ladner.