A tool that enables Emergency Departments to:

• Prioritize patient care requirements
• Examine patient care processes, workload, and resource requirements relative to case mix and community need

The triage level assigned using the CTAS criteria is a mandatory data element to be used in all Canadian Hospital Emergency Departments for reporting to the Canadian Institute for Health Information

The CTAS allows ED nurses and physicians to:

• Triage patients according the type and severity of their presenting signs and symptoms
• Prioritizes patients when emergency department capacity has been exceeded
• Ensure that a patient’s need for care is reassessed while in the Emergency department

The CTAS allows ED managers to:

• Measure the case mix (volume and acuity) of patients who visit the ED
• Determine whether the ED has an operational plan and the resources to meet patient needs
• Assess the ED’s role within the hospital and health care region