08/22/2024
The Emergency Room in the hospital does NOT operate on a first-come, first-served basis; it operates on the triage system. Triaging patients means prioritizing a person based on the urgency of their need for care. After registration, triage is the first thing that happens when you seek care at an emergency room.
The Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) ranges from one to five, with one signifying the sickest patients and five the least sick. The triage nurses do their best to do this as accurately and quickly as possible with the information the patients and family give them.
The triage levels are not shared with patients as they can change. There are many factors that move patients up or down the triage scale – age, pain, vital signs, medical history, etc.
