Evaluation on Patient Triaging Pathway Strategy Guidelines for Cases with Elipidae Bite during COVID-19 Pandemic at Emergency Department

Abstract

Emergency department (ED) typically practicing a triage system to classify patients into priority levels. Triage system is commonly used in crowded emergency rooms to determine which patient should be seen and treated immediately. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of triaging pathway strategies guidelines for critical cases seen in the Emergency Department during the COVID-19 outbreak. Emergency Department, Taiping Hospital is practicing triaging system which consist of two divisions; case with respiratory symptoms (SARI) and case with no symptom of respiratory impairment (NON SARI). One case report was selected to answer the study objectives. A patient with snake bite which presented at Emergency Department, Taiping Hospital with symptoms of numbness at bitten hand and complaint of difficulty to open the eyes and tachycardia noted. However, no shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing was reported. COVID-19 rapid screening done and patient were treated under Red Zone (Non SARI). Luckily patient survived and was stable with no reaction observed after Neuro Polyvalent Antivenom 50cc in 500cc normal saline in one hour commenced. This case report proved that patient triaging pathway strategy guidelines provided was effectively practiced by paramedic during managing critical cases at Emergency Department during COVID-19 outbreak.  Researchers also recommended that other Emergency Department should be advised to practice an effective and appropriate triaging pathway strategy guidelines to save patient’s life.