TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of patient sex on triage for ischaemic heart disease and treatment onset times
T2 - A retrospective analysis of Australian emergency department data
AU - Kuhn, Lisa
AU - Page, Karen
AU - Rolley, John X.
AU - Worrall-Carter, Linda
N1 - Funding Information:
Lisa Kuhn is supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award with Stipend and a grant from the Royal College of Nursing, Australia National Research and Scholarship Fund. We would like to thank John Ward (Statistician) for advice and checking our data analysis and Brooke MacPherson, formerly Data Analysis staff at the Victorian Department of Health (DoH) for working with Lisa to extract the necessary data from the DoH administered dataset.
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - Time between emergency department (ED) presentation and treatment onset is an important, but little-researched phase within the revascularization process for ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Objective: To determine if sex influences triage score allocation and treatment onset for patients with IHD in the ED. Methods: Retrospective data for patients 18-85. years presenting to EDs from 2005 to 2010 for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unstable and stable angina, and chest pain were analysed collectively and separately for AMI. Results: Proportionately more men (61% of males) were triaged correctly for AMI than women (51.4% of females; P<. 0.001). Across all triage categories, average treatment time was faster for men than women with AMI (P<. 0.001). When incorrectly triaged for AMI, treatment time for men was faster than for women (P= 0.04). When correctly triaged for AMI, there was no difference in mean treatment time between men and women (P= 0.538). Conclusions: Substantial undertriage of AMI occurred for both sexes, but was worse in women. Incorrect triage led to prolonged treatment times for AMI, with women's treatment delays longer than men's. When triaged correctly, both sexes were treated early for AMI, emphasising the need for all patients to be accurately triaged for this time-sensitive disease.
AB - Time between emergency department (ED) presentation and treatment onset is an important, but little-researched phase within the revascularization process for ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Objective: To determine if sex influences triage score allocation and treatment onset for patients with IHD in the ED. Methods: Retrospective data for patients 18-85. years presenting to EDs from 2005 to 2010 for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unstable and stable angina, and chest pain were analysed collectively and separately for AMI. Results: Proportionately more men (61% of males) were triaged correctly for AMI than women (51.4% of females; P<. 0.001). Across all triage categories, average treatment time was faster for men than women with AMI (P<. 0.001). When incorrectly triaged for AMI, treatment time for men was faster than for women (P= 0.04). When correctly triaged for AMI, there was no difference in mean treatment time between men and women (P= 0.538). Conclusions: Substantial undertriage of AMI occurred for both sexes, but was worse in women. Incorrect triage led to prolonged treatment times for AMI, with women's treatment delays longer than men's. When triaged correctly, both sexes were treated early for AMI, emphasising the need for all patients to be accurately triaged for this time-sensitive disease.
KW - Emergency department
KW - Gender
KW - Heart disease
KW - Myocardial infarction
KW - Time factor
KW - Triage
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84897583676&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ienj.2013.08.002
DO - 10.1016/j.ienj.2013.08.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 24071742
AN - SCOPUS:84897583676
SN - 1755-599X
VL - 22
SP - 88
EP - 93
JO - International Emergency Nursing
JF - International Emergency Nursing
IS - 2
ER -