Triage system introduced at KR Hospital

Mysuru: In order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the health authorities have introduced the triage system, which is a multi-level screening of patients, at Krishna Rajendra (KR) hospital. The system is developed to help streamline a patient’s movement on the hospital campus.
Every day, around 2,000 outpatients, on an average, visit KR Hospital for getting checked and treated, from Mysuru and neighbouring districts. However, people infected with the novel coronavirus too visit the hospital for check-ups, and there is a chance of such people posing a danger to other patients.
In the triage system, the health staff will check the medical condition of the patients who arrive at the hospital, and based on the illness and medical urgency, they will be directed to the designated department and units for medical check-up and treatment.
The triage area, which had been set up at the hospital, has multiple registration and billing counters, where the patient can directly approach. Every person who visits has to sanitise his hands, go through thermal screening, and will also get wheelchairs, stretchers and trolleys, in case of emergencies.
Social or medical workers will help and guide the patients regarding lab facilities, radiology facilities and inpatient wards.
While the doctor’s from the general medicine and community medicine department will triage the patients, a nursing station has been set up for primary care of patients in the triage area.
KR Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr M Nanjundaswamy said that the newly introduced triage system is a boon to screen Covid-19 suspects, influenza-like Illness and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) patients at the hospital.