RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Limitations in validating emergency department triage scales
JF Emergency Medicine Journal
JO Emerg Med J
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP 477
OP 479
DO 10.1136/emj.2007.046383
VO 24
IS 7
A1 Michele Twomey
A1 Lee A Wallis
A1 Jonathan E Myers
YR 2007
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/24/7/477.abstract
AB Objective: To examine whether current validation methods of emergency department triage scales actually assess the instrument’s validity. Methods: Optimal methods of emergency department triage scale validation are examined in developed countries and their application to developing countries is considered. Results and conclusion: Numerous limitations are embedded in the process of validating triage scales. Methods of triage scale validation in developed countries may not be appropriate and repeatable in developing countries. Even in developed countries there are problems in conceptualising validation methods. A new consensus building validation approach has been constructed and recommended for a developing country setting. The Delphi method, a consensual validation process, is advanced as a more appropriate alternative for validating triage scales in developing countries.