Triage of Children at the Emergency Department: Manchester Triage System or Pediatric Early Warning Score?

Currently, the Manchester Triage System (MTS) is used to triage all children presenting at the emergency department(ED) in this hospital. This system has been proven safe, but many patients are classified as too urgent. In this hospital adults are prioritised at the ED by a score based on vital signs, the early warning score. A similar score is developed suitable for children. This score, the Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS), is already used to determine clinical deterioration. The investigators hypothesize that children can be triaged safely with the PEWS. If it is safe, there will be one triage system again at the ED. Another advantage will be more continuity in assessing the condition of patients who are admitted to the hospital.