Non-admitted patient emergency department service episode—triage category, code N

Identifying and definitional attributes
Metadata item type:	Data Element
Short name:	Triage category
METEOR identifier:	474185
Registration status:	Health, Superseded 05/10/2016 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Standard 31/10/2012 National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016
Definition:	The urgency of the patient's need for medical and nursing care as assessed at triage, as represented by a code.
Context:	Emergency department care.
Data Element Concept:	Non-admitted patient emergency department service episode—triage category
Value Domain:	Triage category code N

Value domain attributes
Representational attributes
Representation class:	Code
Data type:	Number
Format:	N
Maximum character length:	1
	Value	Meaning
Permissible values:	1	Resuscitation: immediate (within seconds)
	2	Emergency: within 10 minutes
	3	Urgent: within 30 minutes
	4	Semi-urgent: within 60 minutes
	5	Non-urgent: within 120 minutes

Data element attributes
Collection and usage attributes
Collection methods:	This triage classification is to be used in the emergency departments of hospitals. Patients will be triaged into one of five categories on the Australasian Triage Scale according to the triageur's response to the question: 'This patient should wait for medical care no longer than ...?'. The triage category is allocated by an experienced registered nurse or medical practitioner. If the triage category changes, both triage categories can be captured, but the original category must be reported in this data element. A triage category should not be assigned for patients who have a Type of visit of 'Dead on arrival, emergency department clinician certified the death of the patient'.
Source and reference attributes
Origin:	Australasian Triage Scale, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine
Reference documents:	The Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) policy on the Australian Triage Scheme is accessible at: Australian College of Emergency Medicine 2000. Australian College of Emergency Medicine, Melbourne. Viewed 15 February 2013, http://www.acem.org.au/media/policies_and_guidelines/ P06_Aust_Triage_Scale_-_Nov_2000.pdf In addition, the ACEM guideline provides descriptors for the individual triage categories which can be viewed at: Australian College of Emergency Medicine 2005. Australian College of Emergency Medicine, Melbourne. Viewed 15 February 2013, http://www.acem.org.au/media/policies_and_guidelines/ G24_Implementation__ATS.pdf
Relational attributes
Related metadata references:	Supersedes Non-admitted patient emergency department service episode—triage category, code N Health, Superseded 30/01/2012 Has been superseded by Non-admitted patient emergency department service episode—triage category, code N Health, Superseded 25/01/2018
Implementation in Data Set Specifications: All attributes +	Activity based funding: Emergency department care DSS 2013-2014 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Superseded 01/03/2013 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2013 Implementation end date: 30/06/2014 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded if the patient has one of the following nonemergency department stay - type of visit to emergency department values reported: 1 - Emergency department presentation; 2 - Return visit, planned; 3 - Pre-arranged admission; 4 - Patient in transit. Activity based funding: Emergency service care DSS 2013-2014 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Standard 31/10/2012 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2013 Implementation end date: 30/06/2014 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Emergency department presentation; Return visit, planned; Pre-arranged admission; Patient in transit Activity based funding: Emergency service care DSS 2014-15 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Standard 14/01/2015 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2014 Implementation end date: 30/06/2015 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission. Activity based funding: Emergency service care DSS 2015-16 Health, Superseded 19/11/2015 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2015 Implementation end date: 30/06/2016 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission. Activity based funding: Emergency service care NBEDS 2016-17 Health, Superseded 05/10/2016 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2016 Implementation end date: 30/06/2017 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Emergency department stay—type of visit to emergency department, code N values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission. Acute coronary syndrome (clinical) DSS Health, Superseded 02/05/2013 DSS specific attributes + Conditional obligation: This data element should only be collected for patients who presented to the emergency department for treatment related to acute coronary syndromes. Acute coronary syndrome (clinical) NBPDS 2013- Health, Standard 02/05/2013 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2013 Conditional obligation: This data element should only be collected for patients who presented to the emergency department for treatment related to acute coronary syndromes. Emergency department care activity based funding DSS 2012-2013 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Superseded 31/10/2012 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2012 Implementation end date: 30/06/2013 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Emergency department presentation; Return visit, planned; Pre-arranged admission; Patient in transit. Emergency services activity based funding DSS 2012-2013 Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Superseded 31/10/2012 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2012 Implementation end date: 30/06/2013 Non-admitted patient emergency department care DSS 2014-15 Health, Superseded 04/02/2015 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2014 Implementation end date: 30/06/2015 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission; Code 4 - Patient in transit. Non-admitted patient emergency department care DSS 2015-16 Health, Superseded 02/12/2015 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2015 Implementation end date: 30/06/2016 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission; Code 4 - Patient in transit. Non-admitted patient emergency department care NBEDS 2016-17 Health, Superseded 05/10/2016 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2016 Implementation end date: 30/06/2017 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit to emergency department permissible values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation Code 2 - Return visit, planned Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2012-13 Health, Superseded 07/02/2013 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2012 Implementation end date: 30/06/2013 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Emergency department presentation; Return visit, planned; Pre-arranged admission; Patient in transit. Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2013-14 Health, Superseded 11/04/2014 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2013 Implementation end date: 30/06/2014 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Emergency department presentation; Return visit, planned; Pre-arranged admission; Patient in transit. Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2014-15 Health, Superseded 13/11/2014 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2014 Implementation end date: 30/06/2015 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission; Code 4 - Patient in transit. Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2015-16 Health, Superseded 19/11/2015 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2015 Implementation end date: 30/06/2016 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission; Code 4 - Patient in transit. Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2016-17 Health, Superseded 05/10/2016 DSS specific attributes + Implementation start date: 01/07/2016 Implementation end date: 30/06/2017 Conditional obligation: This data item is to be recorded for patients who have one of the following Type of visit values recorded: Code 1 - Emergency presentation; Code 2 - Return visit, planned; Code 3 - Pre-arranged admission; Code 4 - Patient in transit.
Implementation in Indicators:	National Health Performance Authority, Hospital Performance: Percentage of patients who commenced treatment within clinically recommended time 2014 National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 19–Selected potentially avoidable GP-type presentations to emergency departments, 2016 Health, Superseded 31/01/2017 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 19–Selected potentially avoidable GP-type presentations to emergency departments, 2017 Health, Superseded 30/01/2018 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 19–Selected potentially avoidable GP-type presentations to emergency departments, 2018 Health, Superseded 19/06/2019 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 21a–Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Proportion seen on time, 2016 Health, Superseded 31/01/2017 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 21a–Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Proportion seen on time, 2017 Health, Superseded 30/01/2018 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 21a–Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Proportion seen on time, 2018 Health, Superseded 19/06/2019 National Health Performance Authority, Hospital Performance: Percentage of patients who commenced treatment within clinically recommended time 2014 National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016 National Health Performance Authority, Hospital Performance: Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Percentage completed within four hours, 2014 National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 19–Selected potentially avoidable GP-type presentations to emergency departments, 2016 Health, Superseded 31/01/2017 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 19–Selected potentially avoidable GP-type presentations to emergency departments, 2017 Health, Superseded 30/01/2018 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 19–Selected potentially avoidable GP-type presentations to emergency departments, 2018 Health, Superseded 19/06/2019 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 21a–Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Proportion seen on time, 2016 Health, Superseded 31/01/2017 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 21a–Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Proportion seen on time, 2017 Health, Superseded 30/01/2018 National Healthcare Agreement: PI 21a–Waiting times for emergency hospital care: Proportion seen on time, 2018 Health, Superseded 19/06/2019 Used as Denominator National Health Performance Authority, Hospital Performance: Percentage of patients who commenced treatment within clinically recommended time 2014 National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016