Demographic profile of COVID-19 patients reporting to the triage area of a dedicated COVID-19 hospital (DCH) in Datia, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Introduction
Triage is, “the sorting out and classification of patients or casualties to determine priority of need and proper place of treatment.” During infectious disease outbreaks, triage is particularly important to separate patients likely to be infected with the pathogen of concern from those who are not, to prevent nosocomial spread, and to ensure those who are infected receive the appropriate level of care. The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of possible and confirmed COVID-19 patients transported to hospital by ambulance or self-presenting during April and May 2021, to see which symptoms indicated the likelihood of a severe, moderate or mild case that would enable the patient to be appropriately triaged to a COVID Care Centre (CCC); Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital (DCH) or Dedicated COVID Healthcare Centre (DCHC) respectively.