Assessing the effectiveness of a computer-based decision support system for emergency department triage

Information obtained during a patient’s first encounter with a health professional in an emergency department is critical. To properly serve both seriously il l and non-critical patients the process of Emergency Department mage must maximize the quality and timeliness of information gathered in the triage interview[ I]. The purpose of the interview is to place the patient in one of several queues, each having an associated maximum time until the patient sees a physician.