Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Background and Objectives The triage of pediatric patients in the outpatient department is an important process that helps prioritize urgency and reduce treatment risks. However, there are currently several limitations, particularly the lack of a standard model specifically for children, resulting in inaccurate triage and delays in treatment. Nakornping Hospital has seen a continuous increase in pediatric patients. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the situation, develop a model, and evaluate the effectiveness of the pediatric patient triage model.Methods The ADDIE Model was applied in three phases. Phase 1 involved analyzing the current situation through focus group discussions with 10 interdisciplinary professionals. Phase 2 focused on developing the model. Phase 3 assessed the effectiveness through a quasi-experimental study with two groups and measured post-intervention, testing with 30 pediatric patients and their parents in each group. The research instruments were validated by five experts, achieving a content validity index of 1.0 and a reliability coefficient of 0.88. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and chi-square tests.Results The current situation had limitations in staffing, outdated practices, and a lack of specialized experts. The developed model included adjustments to the Emergency Severity Index criteria specifically for children, guidelines for special needs children, a 5-step triage process, a waiting time of no more than 10 minutes, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Parents in the experimental group had a satisfaction level (M = 93.10, S.D. = 10.76) significantly higher than the control group (M = 86.13, S.D. = 15.13) (p < 0.05) and a triage accuracy rate (76.67 %) significantly higher than the control group (36.67 %) (p < 0.01)Conclusions and Recommendations The developed pediatric patient triage model enhances parental satisfaction and triage accuracy. It can be applied in other tertiary hospitals.
Authors: Chankun, Thannapat, Jansiri, Utthawit
Institutions: Nakornping Hospital, Payap University
Language: Thai
Subfield: Emergency Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7215258484