The aim of this study was to identify the predictive validity of the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS). Methods: This methodological study used data from National Emergency Department Information System for 2016. The KTAS disposition and emergency treatment results for emergency patients aged 15 years and older were analyzed to evaluate its predictive validity through its sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Results: In case of death in the emergency department, or where the intensive care unit admission was considered an emergency, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the KTAS were 0.916, 0.581, 0.097, and 0.993, respectively. In case of death in the emergency department, or where the intensive or non-intensive care unit admission was considered an emergency, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.700, 0.642, 0.391, and 0.867, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the KTAS had high sensitivity but low specificity. It is necessary to constantly review and revise the KTAS level classification because it still results in a few errors of under and over-triage. Nevertheless, this study is meaningful in that it was an evaluation of the KTAS for the total cases of adult patients who sought help at regional and local emergency medical centers in 2016.

Background: Due to the prolonged period of COVID-19, the uncertainty related to COVID-19 is bound to increase for healthcare workers (HCWs) in tertiary medical institutions as much as for the HCWs in dedicated hospitals. Purpose: To assess anxiety, depression, and uncertainty appraisal, and to determine the factors affecting uncertainty risk and opportunity appraisal experienced by HCWs at the forefront of COVID-19 treatment. Method: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The participants were HCWs at a tertiary medical center in Seoul. HCWs included medical (doctors, nurses) and non-medical (nutritionists, pathologists, radiologists, office workers, etc.) personnel. Self-reported structured questionnaires (patient health questionnaire, generalized anxiety disorder scale, and uncertainty appraisal) were obtained. Finally, responses from 1337 people were used to evaluate factors affecting uncertainty risk and opportunity appraisal using a quantile regression analysis. Results: The average ages of medical and non-medical HCWs were 31.69 ± 7.87 and 38.66 ± 11.42 years, and the proportion of females was high. The rates of moderate to severe depression (23.23%) and anxiety (6.83%) were higher in medical HCWs. The uncertainty risk score was higher than the uncertainty opportunity score for all the HCWs. Factors that increased uncertainty opportunity were a decrease in depression in medical HCWs and a decrease in anxiety in non-medical HCWs. Increase in age was directly proportional to uncertainty opportunity in both groups. Conclusion: There is a need to devise a strategy to reduce uncertainty among HCWs who inevitably face various infectious diseases that appear in the near future. In particular, since there are various types of non-medical as well as medical HCWs in medical institutions who can prepare an intervention plan that comprehensively considers the characteristics of each occupation and the distribution of risks and opportunities of uncertainty will be able to improve the quality of life of HCWs and further promote the health of the people.

No abstract