|
|
|
METHODOLOGY
I developed a 16 item questionnaire. Ideas came from a literature search that included the Journal of Emergency Nursing (5) and Professional Nurse (1). Six A/E nurses and a market researcher reviewed the questionnaire and made suggestions. A copy of the questionnaire is included in the appendix.
The purposes of this survey were to determine the following:
(i) the availability of triage in A/E departments in Ireland.
(ii) the reasons triage is not in operation.
(iii) physical facilities available for triage.
(iv) the qualifications and training required for triage nurses.
(v) the tests initiated by the triage nurse.
In December 1996 the questionnaire was sent
to 36 A/E departments in Ireland. Included were all A/E departments in general
and paediatric hospitals, as listed in "Public Hospitals ‑ a list
of public, voluntary, regional, district and psychiatric hospitals in the Republic
of Ireland" published by the Department of Health. Completion and return
of the questionnaire was voluntary. Questionnaires were returned in preaddressed
stamped envelopes. Questionnaires were posted to the sister‑in‑charge
of the A/E department, with a return date given of January 1997. I phoned 10
A/E departments to remind them to return the questionnaire and posted second
copies of the questionnaire to 5 of these departments.
I encountered some problems with the returned
questionnaires. Question number 5 presented the first problem. 3 questionnaires
were ticked opposite "a visiting A/E consultant", a note had been
written after these stating that it was a surgical consultant from the hospital
covering the A/E department, I then interpreted these as "no A/E consultant",
as these consultants were not specific consultants in A/E medicine.
After Question 5, "Does the A/E department
operate a triage system?", I stated "if no, proceed to Question 6
to complete questionnaire" and "if yes, proceed to Question 7 and
complete questionnaire to end". Three questionnaires that were ticked no
triage, had also been answered for Question 16 ‑ "What skills are
performed by the triage nurse?". As these questionnaires had already stated
that triage was not available I did not interpret Question 16 in these questionnaires.
From experience I realise that nurses in many A/E departments without triage
can initiate many of these procedures, but I was researching from the viewpoint
of triage availability and skills performed by the triage nurse. Maybe I should
have questioned all A/E departments re skills performed regardless of the availability
of triage.
In two of the questionnaires that had ticked
no triage questions 14 and 15 were also answered. These related to experience
required to work in triage. I did not interpret these answers. I can only guess
that they thought the question related to experience necessary to work in the
A/E department.
If I was repeating this questionnaire I would exclude Question 13. This question did not seem to be easily understood by those completing the questionnaire and therefore difficult to interpret the result. Also it was not essential to the questionnaire.