Fig. 1
From: Parent’s perspectives of the pathway to diagnosis of childhood cancer: a matter of diagnostic triage
Diagnostic triage: The process of appraisal, help-seeking, negotiation and escalation in the pathway from detection of bodily and behavioural changes to diagnosis. The zig-zag line illustrates the mechanisms of diagnostic triage. It is a continual and dynamic process of appraisal, escalations (peak upwards) and de-escalations (peak downwards) along the pathway to diagnosis covering three different forms of triage. The dynamic movements take place between everyday triage, general triage and specialist triage which are regulated by various factors. The multiple peaks in the zig-zag line visualises how families can move back and forth between the different levels of triage before experiencing progress and obtaining the diagnosis