Emergency Severity Index (ESI): A Triage Tool for Emergency Department

DVDs and 2012 Edition of the Implementation Handbook

Version 4

The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is a five-level emergency department (ED) triage algorithm that provides clinically relevant stratification of patients into five groups from 1 (most urgent) to 5 (least urgent) on the basis of acuity and resource needs. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funded initial work on the ESI.
Select to download the Implementation Handbook.

ESI Training and Background

The set of two DVDs, entitled Emergency Severity Index, Version 4: Everything You Need To Know, and the companionEmergency Severity Index, Version 4: Implementation Handbook, 2012 Edition, are essential resources for ensuring that your emergency department staff are well-trained in using ESI.
The DVDs contain lectures and practice cases as well as written materials that can be viewed or downloaded from your PC or Mac®.
The 2012 edition of the Implementation Handbook, which can be used alone or with the DVDs, discusses the ESI and the research behind it. The handbook also includes information on:

Pediatric triage—new with this edition.
Frequently asked questions.
Additional practice cases.
Full-page and pocket-sized versions of the ESI Version 4 Algorithm that emergency department personnel can cut out and refer to as needed.

Download Information

Your browser may support downloading the Implementation Handbook from this page by using the links below. Right click on the link and then select "Save Target As" (Internet Explorer) or "Save Link As" (Netscape®).

Emergency Severity Index Implementation Handbook, 2012 Edition (PDF File, 1.3 MB).

Where To Obtain Copies of the DVDs and Handbook

The DVD set, Emergency Severity Index, Version 4: Everything You Need To Know, (AHRQ Publication No. 05-0046-DVD) and print copies of the spiral-bound Implementation Handbook, 2012 Edition (AHRQ Publication No. 12-0014) can be obtained by contacting:
AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse
Phone: 1-800-358-9295
E-mail: AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov
You may request 1 free copy of both the DVD set and the Implementation Handbook.

Where To Obtain Additional Information

For ESI Version 4 algorithm content and research-related questions, please E-mail: esitriage@yahoo.com. For information about ESI training, go to: http://www.esitriage.org/

.
For more information about the AHRQ program that supported the development of these products, please E-mail:Kendall.Hall@ahrq.hhs.gov.
To receive copies of the DVDs and Handbook, please contact the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse directly. See "Where To Obtain Copies of the DVDs and Handbook," above.

AHRQ Publication No. 12-0014

Current as of February 2013

Internet Citation: Emergency Severity Index (ESI): A Triage Tool for Emergency Department: DVDs and 2012 Edition of the Implementation Handbook. February 2013. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/hospital/esi/index.html