Emergency physicians adapt triage algorithm for COVID-19 pandemic

A structured framework for emergency department triage created by physicians at an academic medical center contains recommendations for personal protective equipment use as well as guidance on the disposition of patients suspected of having COVID‐19. The authors based their algorithm on the Pandemic Influenza Triage Algorithm developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. “Accurate triage of patients during the pandemic will assign patients to the appropriate level of care, provide the best care for the maximum number of patients, rationally limit personal protective equipment usage, and mitigate nosocomial exposures,” the authors wrote. (Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open article, 8/20/20)