Define Triage Drift
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Context: Emergency Room
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Emergency rooms are fast-paced environments where patients bring their most pressing medical concerns. Emergency room doctors and nurses must think quickly and accurately.
Triage
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Triage occurs in disaster situations where casualty risks are high. Triage involves classifying patients based upon their likelihood of survival. Those most likely to survive receive priority over those least likely to survive.
Controversy
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Triage drift is a controversial practice because life and death decisions are left to the subjective determinations of nurses in high-stress situations. Electronic decision-making alternatives, like e-triage, exist to reduce triage drift.
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