Desenvolvimento e implementação de um sistema de triagem para cães e gatos em um hospital veterinário

Abstract

Triage systems for recognizing and classifying the severity of clinical conditions are not yet available for the veterinary area, so that animals are often treated differently, such as on a first-come, first-served basis or by prior appointment. Faced with the absence of a validated and recognized triage system for recognizing and classifying care for dogs and cats, this study aimed to adapt the Manchester Triage System (MTS) to a veterinary hospital and evaluate its benefits when it was implemented. About 553 animals and their guardians and/or legal guardians participated in the study, 275 in the first phase and 278 in the second phase. The canine species was predominant in the study (84.8%; n=469/553) and the average age of theanimals was 81.33 months old. The most selected priority level was green, followed by the category blue, yellow, red and orange in both phases. The superiority of the new sorting system was notorious when compared to the intuitive sorting system. The developed and modified triage system provided a greater number of screened patients, better acceptance by guardians and/or legal guardians, and demonstrated greater clarity regarding the patients' severity status. More studies are needed to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of screening systems in the veterinary routine, but their superiority to the intuitive screening system was evident.