European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Chest pain is one of the most common presentations to the emergency department (ED). The HEART-score is used to assess the 30-day risk of developing a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). The HEART-score enables clinicians to classify patients in low, intermediate, or high-risk groups though little is known as to whether this can be done reliably and reproducibly in a prehospital setting. ⋯ The moderate interobserver agreement of the HEART-score does not currently support the use of the HEART-score by ambulance nurses in a prehospital setting. Training for prehospital nurses is vital to ensure that they are able to calculate the HEART-score accurately.
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Triage is key in the management of mass casualty incidents. ⋯ A simple prehospital triage for trauma casualties during the 13 November terrorist attack in Paris could have been performed triaged in 78% of casualties that were admitted to the hospital, with a 36% rate of undertriage and 8% of overtriage. Qualitative analysis of undertriage and overtriage indicate some possibilities for further improvement.