Emergency and casualty triage
Triage arrivals by ESI acuity and run the casualty on a live board that keeps the sickest patients first.
The emergency board runs your casualty by acuity, not arrival order. Patients are triaged the moment they arrive and the board keeps the sickest in front, so a critical case never waits behind a minor complaint.
ESI acuity triage
Arrivals are assigned an Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level from 1 to 5. Level 1 is the most critical and needs immediate resuscitation; level 5 is the least urgent. The level drives where the patient sits in the queue.
| ESI level | Urgency |
|---|---|
1 | Immediate, life-threatening: resuscitation now |
2 | High risk: should be seen very soon |
3 | Urgent |
4 | Less urgent |
5 | Non-urgent |
The live ED board
The board tracks each patient through the stages of an emergency visit, so charge staff always know who is where and what needs to happen next.
Waiting for triage: arrived, not yet assessedWaiting to be seen: triaged, queued for a clinicianTreating: under active treatmentObservation: being watched before a disposition decision
Acuity-based prioritisation
Because the board orders patients by ESI level rather than by how long they have waited, the team's attention naturally follows clinical need. A newly arrived level-1 patient rises to the top immediately.
Re-triage patients whose condition changes while waiting. A patient triaged at level 4 who deteriorates must be re-assigned a higher acuity so the board reflects reality.
Register and triage on arrival
Capture the patient and assign an ESI level so they enter the board correctly.
Move through the stages
Advance the patient from waiting to treating to observation as care progresses.
Disposition
Admit, discharge or transfer once a decision is reached.
Display the ED board on a wall screen in the casualty so the whole team shares one live picture of the department.