Database of Health Workforce Innovations
695
Fast-Track Team Triage Approach
Access to healthcare diminished drastically across Puerto Rico.
(1) most or all of the community’s infrastructure is impacted
(2) local officials are unable to perform their usual roles for a period of time
(3) most or all routine community functions are immediately and simultaneously interrupted; and
(4) surrounding communities are similarly affected, and thus there are no regional resources to come to the aid of the affected local communities.
MMH faced the challenge of managing an overwhelming number of people, most with nonemergent concerns, who sought medical attention in a setting with limited staff and supplies.
(1) most or all of the community’s infrastructure is impacted
(2) local officials are unable to perform their usual roles for a period of time
(3) most or all routine community functions are immediately and simultaneously interrupted; and
(4) surrounding communities are similarly affected, and thus there are no regional resources to come to the aid of the affected local communities.
MMH faced the challenge of managing an overwhelming number of people, most with nonemergent concerns, who sought medical attention in a setting with limited staff and supplies.
Sixteen days after the hurricane, a mobile military hospital (MMH) was deployed to
Humacao, Puerto Rico, a municipality on the eastern coast of the island, to provide medical relief.
Team triage is the addition of a health care provider (typically an MD, NP, or physician assistant) to the triage area to perform a brief medical screening
examination and initiate necessary testing or treatment. The intent is to treat and discharge patients with minor needs more rapidly while simultaneously determining which patients require a more in-depth evaluation and advanced level of care. Team triage safely and efficiently meets the needs of arriving patients, who benefit from nursing assessment and care in conjunction with those of a health care provider.
To run this team triage station, an RN from an inpatient unit was reassigned to work in the ED, and one of the RNs assigned to the ED worked at the fast-track team triage table. An ED physician or physician assistant was used to fill the provider position. The obstetrician–gynecologist assisted as an additional evaluator in fast-track team triage to allow for provider rotation and relief from the relentless workload.
Humacao, Puerto Rico, a municipality on the eastern coast of the island, to provide medical relief.
Team triage is the addition of a health care provider (typically an MD, NP, or physician assistant) to the triage area to perform a brief medical screening
examination and initiate necessary testing or treatment. The intent is to treat and discharge patients with minor needs more rapidly while simultaneously determining which patients require a more in-depth evaluation and advanced level of care. Team triage safely and efficiently meets the needs of arriving patients, who benefit from nursing assessment and care in conjunction with those of a health care provider.
To run this team triage station, an RN from an inpatient unit was reassigned to work in the ED, and one of the RNs assigned to the ED worked at the fast-track team triage table. An ED physician or physician assistant was used to fill the provider position. The obstetrician–gynecologist assisted as an additional evaluator in fast-track team triage to allow for provider rotation and relief from the relentless workload.
- Alternative deployments for health workers whose normal duties are temporarily suspended
- Task shifting/delegation
- New roles
- Cross-sector deployment
- Expanded roles
- Nurse Practitioners*
- Nurse Specialists*
- Nurses - Licensed Practical
- Nurses - Registered
- Physicians - Emergency
- Physicians - Intensive Care
- Physicians - Primary/Family
- Physicians - Specialists
Hurricane Maria, a catastrophic disaster, ravaged Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.
- Emergency Medical Services
- Hospitals
we all needed to be flexible and work together
Informal Strategy
Parak, B. E., Hodge, N. S., & Eccleston, S. D. (2019). Implementing a Fast-Track Team Triage Approach in Response to Hurricane Maria. The American journal of nursing, 119(10), 58–64.
Brittany E. Parak
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Brooke Army Medical Center
United States
USA