Manchester Triage System: main flowcharts, discriminators and outcomes of a pediatric emergency care

OBJETIVE: to characterize the care services performed through risk rating by the Manchester Triage System, identifying demographics (age, gender), main flowcharts, discriminators and outcomes in pediatric emergency METHOD: cross-sectional quantitative study. Data on risk classification were obtained through a search of computerized registration data from medical records of patients treated in the pediatric emergency within one year. Descriptive statistics with absolute and relative frequencies was used for the analysis. RESULTS: 10,921 visits were conducted in the pediatric emergency, mostly male (54.4%), aged between 29 days and two years (44.5%). There was a prevalence of the urgent risk category (43.6%). The main flowchart used in the care was worried parents (22.4%) and the most prevalent discriminator was recent event (15.3%). The hospitalization outcome occurred in 10.4% of care performed in the pediatric emergency, however 61.8% of care needed to stay under observation and / or being under the health team care in the pediatric emergency. CONCLUSION: worried parents was the main flowchart used and recent events the most prevalent discriminator, comprising the hospitalization outcomes and permanency in observation in the pediatric emergency before discharge from the hospital.