PhD defence J.M. (Joany) Zachariasse

Triage systems are used in emergency departments (EDs) as a quick assessment to prioritize patients and ensure they are seen in order of clinical need, rather than in order of attendance. Research on currently used triage systems is limited and often had several methodological limitations. Research is needed to improve available triage systems for children, by reducing undertriage (incorrectly classifying high urgent patients as low urgent), as well as overtriage (incorrectly classifying low urgent patients as high urgent). To this end, existing triage systems, such as the Manchester Triage System (MTS) can be modified, or new tools for the triage assessment can be developed. To improve the first assessment of children presenting at the ED, the TrIAGE project (TRiage Improvements Across General Emergency departments) was established. This is a prospective observational study in five EDs (Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom) based on electronic health record data.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall or in the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.