Abstract
PURPOSE: This study investigated whether higher triage urgency according to the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) is associated with reduced time to computed tomography (CT) in major trauma patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 621 patients with major trauma (ISS > 12) admitted to the state adult major trauma centre in Western Australia between September 2021 and August 2022. Demographic, injury, and clinical data were extracted from the state trauma registry. Time to CT was analysed using multivariate regression to assess the influence of ATS category and other clinical variables. RESULTS: Median age was 50 years (range 14-103), and 75% were male. Nearly half of patients were triaged as ATS category 1. Higher urgency ATS category was independently associated with shorter time to CT: compared with ATS category 1, time to CT was delayed by 39 min in ATS 2 and 91 min in ATS 3 patients (p < 0.001). Male sex was also associated with faster time to CT (- 27 min, p < 0.001). Longer time to CT correlated with increased time in the emergency department but was not associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Higher ATS urgency predicts faster access to CT in major trauma. Female patients experience longer delays, which may warrant targeted interventions. Time to CT was not associated with mortality in this cohort.