Need for Trauma Intervention and Improving Under-Triaging in Geriatric Trauma Patients: Under-Triaged or Misclassified

Abstract

Background: Combining the Need for Trauma Intervention (NFTI) calculation with the Cribari Matrix Method (CMM) more accurately determines appropriate triage, particularly of geriatric trauma patients. These patients (>/= age 65 years) have comorbidities, increased frailty, and decreased overall functional capacity. The CMM alone does not address (ISS) the percent of following the of Results: Application of NFTI criteria to patients classified as under-triaged by CMM + ISS the study time period under-triage from 7.6% activations and 2.5% 3,123 utility of NFTI-adjusted triage determination in under-triaged geriatric trauma patients. Further, these results imply the benefit of applying NFTI earlier in the continuum of care, perhaps even requiring the initiation of formal process