Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Health's (MOH) recent implementation of the Malaysian Triage Scale (MTS) 2022 introduces a significant enhancement to emergency department services. This initiative, featuring a five-tier triage system, aims to improve patient assessment, prioritize critically ill patients, and streamline patient flow.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) president Prof Amrahi Buang emphasized that this reform is a crucial step towards strengthening Malaysia's healthcare system. He highlighted the opportunity to integrate the nation's over 3,000 community pharmacies into the national referral pathway for non-critical patients.
"The MTS 2022 allows for more accurate identification of patients based on the urgency of their condition. The logical progression is to ensure non-critical patients gain timely access to appropriate care outside emergency departments, with community pharmacies being ideally positioned for this role," Amrahi stated in a recent statement.
Last Thursday, the MOH, in a written reply on the Parliament portal, announced the revamp of the triage system at public hospital emergency departments with MTS 2022. The upgrade transitions from a three-tier, color-coded system to a refined five-tier scale, ranging from Level 1 (Resuscitation) to Level 5 (Routine).
Amrahi noted that MTS 2022 enhances patient assessment through Primary and Secondary Triage and introduces dedicated parameters for pediatric patients. This aims to reduce overcrowding by directing non-emergency patients to more suitable healthcare settings.
Malaysia's community pharmacies, as one of the country's largest and most accessible primary healthcare resources, already offer extended operating hours and professional healthcare advice without appointments, making them a key asset in this initiative.
Amrahi proposed that community pharmacists be officially recognized as Primary Care Triage Partners. Under this model, patients classified as Level 4 (less urgent) or Level 5 (routine) could be referred to community pharmacies for management.
Emergency department staff could direct patients to nearby pharmacies, easily located through MySejahtera, where pharmacists would provide treatment for minor ailments, offer medication counseling, and refer patients to medical practitioners when necessary.
Amrahi suggested expanding programmes like Ubat@Komuniti, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, to enhance medicine access and reduce hospital visits. He also advocated for developing digital referral pathways to ensure continuity of care, highlighting the collaborative healthcare model's potential to improve patient access and allow emergency departments to focus on critical cases.