Santa Clara Clinical Triage Guidelines (CA)

The Santa Clara Clinical Triage Guidelines include a protocol and a flow chart that use a modified pneumonia severity index to triage influenza patients. Patients are stratified by objective criteria (e.g., blood pressure, oximetry, age) to hospital admission, Influenza Care Center admission, palliative home care, or recovery at home. This practice is noteworthy, due to the use of a severity index that can easily screen patients when the healthcare system is operating at maximum surge capacity. The process flow chart is practical, straightforward, and customizable for different locations. This document may be particularly useful for jurisdictions that are beginning to work on their operational triage guidelines.