Comparing the Accuracy of Triage by Nurses and Physicians using Emergency Severity Index and its Related Factors Accuracy of triage by nurses and physicians with Emergency Severity Index and factors related to it, in patients referred to trauma emergency
Iranian Journal of Emergency Medicine,
Vol. 9 No. 1 (2022),
16 March 2022
,
Page e30
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijem.v9i1.39068
Abstract
Introduction: The correct triage of patients based on the severity of their situation can reduce the crowding of patients in the emergency department and reduce complications and mortality among patients. One of the important tools to check the accuracy of triage by nurses and physicians is the emergency severity index.
This study was conducted with the aim of determining the accuracy of triage by nurses and physicians, using Emergency Severity Index and factors related to it, in patients referring to trauma emergency unit in Zanjan, Iran.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 378 patients who referred to the emergency department of a teaching hospital in 2019. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that consisted of demographic information and the Emergency Severity Index triage evaluation form. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 statistical software and chi-square/Fisher's exact test, and analysis of variance test. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.
Results: The present study showed that nurses did 84.4% correct triage and physicians did 90.5% correct triage. Most errors were in the form of under-triage, the rate of which was 10.3% and 7.4% among nurses and physicians, respectively. Nurses had 18.6% triage error cases and physicians had 9.5% triage error cases (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the accuracy of nurses' triage based on their work experience, retraining period, and the patient's waiting time before assignment (P<0.05). However, the accuracy of physicians' triage did not show a statistically significant difference based on the demographic characteristics of physicians and patients (P>0.05).
Conclusion: In this study, under-triage was the most common triage error made by nurses and physicians. Health care workers should know that under-triage can have irreparable consequences for patients. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically hold trainings to update the knowledge of health care professionals regarding triage.
- Triage
- emergencies
- physicians
- nurses
How to Cite
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