Admission within 30 days desirable for a condition that has the potential to deteriorate quickly to the point that it may become an emergency
2
Admission within 90 days desirable for a condition causing some pain, dysfunction or disability but which is not likely to deteriorate quickly or become an emergency
3
Admission at some time in the future acceptable for a condition causing minimal or no pain, dysfunction or disability, which is unlikely to deteriorate quickly and which does not have the potential to become an emergency
Data element attributes
Collection and usage attributes
Guide for use:
The classification employs a system of urgency categorisation based on factors such as the degree of pain, dysfunction and disability caused by the condition and its potential to deteriorate quickly into an emergency. All patients ready for care must be assigned to one of the urgency categories, regardless of how long it is estimated they will need to wait for surgery.
Comments:
A patient's classification may change if he or she undergoes clinical review during the waiting period. The need for clinical review varies with the patient's condition and is therefore at the discretion of the treating clinician. The waiting list information system should be able to record dates when the classification is changed (metadata item Elective care waiting list episode—category reassignment date, DDMMYYYY).
