TNMU Holds Practical Training Sessions on Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Triage

On 3–4 October 2026, training sessions entitled “Practical Application of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Triage System in the Emergency Department” were held at the Tesimed Simulation Training Centre of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University.

The sessions were organised as part of a joint Ukrainian-German project with the Fürth Emergency Medical Services Association (AGNF), with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Hospital Partnerships programme.

The training was attended by nurses working in emergency and urgent care, anaesthesiology, surgery, paediatrics, and related clinical fields.

The training team included experienced lecturers and practising specialists: Roman Huk, Assistant Professor of the Department of Emergency and Simulation Medicine; Iryna Yavorska, Associate Professor of the Department of Higher Nursing Education, Patient Care and Clinical Immunology; and certified instructors Valerii Zhyzhnomirskyi and Oleh Kosinskyi.

The main objective of the training was to develop practical skills in rapid, objective, and standardised patient triage using the Emergency Severity Index (ESI). This approach helps determine the priority of care based on the severity of a patient’s condition and the anticipated need for diagnostic and treatment resources.

The programme combined theoretical instruction with intensive practical and simulation-based training. During the theoretical sessions, participants studied the principles and algorithms of ESI, criteria for assessing patients’ conditions, the five triage levels (ESI 1 to ESI 5), and approaches to predicting the resources required.

The practical component included clinical case studies, exercises in applying triage algorithms, simulation scenarios using modern training equipment, and team coordination exercises under time pressure.

Following the final assessment, participants demonstrated their level of competency and will receive certificates of completion.

Organising such training sessions is an important step towards the systematic implementation of international triage standards in Ukraine. Preparing health care professionals to make timely, evidence-based decisions on the priority of care helps improve the efficiency of emergency departments and ensure the rational use of their resources, particularly when the health care system is under significant pressure.