More zero-delay wards, triage centres to ease burden on govt hosps

The Ambulance triage centre checks the patient brought by the ambulance and provides oxygen support and other medical support before they are admitted to the COVID ward. 

Due to the waiting period for some patients, oxygen saturation comes down causing severe breathlessness before they are admitted to the hospital. The ambulance stagnation is considerably reduced by triaging and hence ambulances will be readily available for the next patient. An ambulance triage centre with 100 beds was inaugurated at Government Bharathi Arts College grounds, which will be maintained by Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. 

Zero-delay wards and triage centres will help patients seek medical care at the required time and prevent overcrowding at the hospital. More such centres are in the plans at district headquartered hospitals in the State, mainly the ones with a higher number of cases. Doctors, nurses and paramedical staff are posted in three shifts to handle patients arriving at the zero-delay wards and triage centres. 

“At the COVID-19 ambulance triage centre, once an ambulance arrives, the doctor will assess the patient in the ambulance and check the vital parameters, including clinical status, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, respiratory rate and code them based on the clinical condition in various colours,” said Dr P Balaji, dean of Stanley Medical College and Hospital. 

Patients with oxygen saturation less than 90 per cent are coded red and between 90 and 94 per cent are yellow. If a patient has no co-morbidities, they are coded green; blue if they are negative and orange if the infection is suspected. After the assessment, patients will be transported to the corresponding wards without waiting at the hospital for assessment, thus facilitating early clearance of the ambulances, he added. Meanwhile, PG medicos say relatives of patients awaiting admission often get into arguments with them as they wait for admission and zero-delay wards would solve this issue. 

“It is a welcome move to have triage centres and zero-delay wards for hospitals so that the kin of patients are assured of medical care immediately as they reach the hospital. We are often attacked and attend to heated arguments since they wait for beds,” said Vinobha, postgraduate medico at a government hospital in the city.