Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34501861›Full record

Observational studyInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021

Sort and Sieve: Pre-Triage Screening of Patients with Suspected COVID-19 in the Emergency Department.

Kirsten R C Hensgens, Inge H T van Rensen, Anita W Lekx, Frits H M van Osch, Lieve H H Knarren, Caroline E Wyers, Joop P van den Bergh, Dennis G Barten

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Triage in the time of COVID-19.The Lancet. Digital health · 2022
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kirsten R C HensgensVieCuri Medical Centre, Department of Emergency Medicine, 5912 BL Venlo, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8231-9220
Inge H T van RensenVieCuri Medical Centre, Department of Emergency Medicine, 5912 BL Venlo, The Netherlands.
Anita W LekxVieCuri Medical Centre, Department of Emergency Medicine, 5912 BL Venlo, The Netherlands.
Frits H M van OschVieCuri Medical Centre, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, 5912 BL Venlo, The Netherlands.
Lieve H H KnarrenVieCuri Medical Centre, Department of Internal Medicine, T5912 BL Venlo, The Netherlands.
Caroline E WyersSchool of Nutrition and Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Joop P van den BerghSchool of Nutrition and Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3984-2232
Dennis G BartenVieCuri Medical Centre, Department of Emergency Medicine, 5912 BL Venlo, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7185-9491

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTo reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission, suspected COVID-19 patients entering the Emergency Department (ED) were assigned to a high-risk (ED) or low-risk (acute medical unit, AMU) area based on symptoms, travel and contact history. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of our pre-triage screening method and to analyse the characteristics of initially undetected COVID-19 patients.

methodsThis was a retrospective, observational, single centre study. Patients ≥ 18 years visiting the AMU-ED between 17 March and 17 April 2020 were included. Primary outcome was the (correct) number of COVID-19 patients assigned to the AMU or ED.

resultsIn total, 1287 patients visited the AMU-ED: 525 (40.8%) AMU, 762 (59.2%) ED. Within the ED group, 304 (64.3%) of 473 tested patients were COVID-19 positive, compared to 13 (46.4%) of 28 tested patients in the AMU group. Our pre-triage screening accuracy was 63.7%. Of the 13 COVID-19 patients who were initially assigned to the AMU, all patients were ≥65 years of age and the majority presented with gastro-intestinal or non-specific symptoms.

conclusionOlder COVID-19 patients presenting with non-specific symptoms were more likely to remain undetected. ED screening protocols should therefore also include non-specific symptoms, particularly in older patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19TriageAgedEmergency Service, HospitalHumansRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2COVID-19emergency departmentpandemicpre-triage screeningtriage

Identifiers

PMID34501861
PMCPMC8431352

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.