Wir überwinden Grenzen

The Medical Center – University of Freiburg has been awarded the 2026 DINK Innovation Prize for a digital system that allows emergency patients to be triaged into the appropriate care within three minutes instead of ten, thereby reducing wait times

People experiencing severe, acute symptoms often face the question: emergency room or urgent care clinic? At the Integrated Emergency Center of the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, a digital triage system helps make this decision. The “TriageClient” software, developed at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg, evaluates symptoms and vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. This helps experienced nursing staff direct patients to the appropriate care early on—thereby significantly reducing the workload on staff. For this concept, the Medical Center – University of Freiburg received the 2026 Innovation Award from the German Interdisciplinary Emergency Medicine Congress (DINK) on March 5, 2026.

“This award is a great honor for us. It highlights how important new concepts are for providing patients with faster guidance in emergency care and directing them to the right place,” says Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Busch, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.

Digital triage cuts wait times to one-third

Since its introduction in October 2023, more than 100,000 patients have already been assessed using this procedure at the Integrated Emergency Center of the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. On average, only 1.3 minutes elapse until the first contact with a specialized nurse. The entire initial assessment takes about three minutes. “In the previous procedure, this process took about ten minutes,” says Busch.

About 38 percent of patients are subsequently directed to the urgent care clinic. Of these, only about 15 percent ultimately require treatment in the emergency department, while the remaining patients are treated directly there.

“This targeted triage relieves the emergency department of patients with minor complaints, allowing us to treat critically ill patients more quickly. At the same time, patients receive clarity about their treatment path early on,” says Dr. Felix Hans, senior physician and head of the Digital Emergency Medicine section at the Emergency Department at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.

DINK Innovation Award

The Innovation Award of the German Interdisciplinary Emergency Medicine Congress honors outstanding projects that advance emergency medicine in a forward-looking manner through new technologies, processes, or organizational concepts. It is presented during the German Interdisciplinary Emergency Medicine Congress.

Image: Exterior view of the Integrated Emergency Center (INZ) at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg: Here, the “TriageClient” software helps assign patients to the appropriate care early on based on symptoms and vital signs. Image source: Medical Center – University of Freiburg

Image source: Medical Center – University of Freiburg