Prehospital emergency care : official journal of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the National Association of State EMS Directors
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Multicenter Study
Effect of the 2011 Revisions to the Field Triage Guidelines on Under- and Over-Triage Rates for Pediatric Trauma Patients.
In 2011, revised Field Triage Guidelines were released jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American College of Surgeons - Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT). It is unknown how the modifications will affect the number of injured children identified by EMS providers as needing transport to a trauma center. ⋯ Use of the Field Triage Guidelines for children resulted in an unacceptably high rate of under-triage regardless of the version used. Use of the 2011 Guidelines increased under-triage compared to the 1999 version. Research is needed to determine how to better assist EMS providers in identifying children who need the resources of a trauma center.