Triage of Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department

Evaluation of Triage Criteria for Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department

The investigators aim to evaluate in a retrospective study the performance of the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale to identify at the door of the Emergency Department patients requiring emergent intervention.

All patients are triaged at the door of our Emergency Department using the Swiss Emergency Triage Scale. Patients with abdominal pain may be triaged in two different emergency levels (level 2: medical evaluation within 20 minutes, level 3: medical evaluation within 2 hours). These levels are determined using a set of specific criteria.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity of these specific criteria in order to identify promptly patients with abdominal pain the will require an emergent intervention during their stay in the Emergency Department.

Inclusion Criteria:

• >= 16 y
• abdominal pain as the main complaint

Exclusion Criteria:

• none