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_ One study (16), which is referred to in a number of articles (12,4), failed to "show
benefits claimed for formal nurse triage"
and concluded that "nurse triage may impose additional delay for patient
treatment, particularly among patients needing the most urgent attention".
These findings were criticised as only one A/E department was used and generalisations
were made regarding all A/E departments. The authors replied by saying a more
efficient triage system was needed rather than abandoning it.
_ It is an extremely stressful job, with the triage nurse being on the frontline for increased
hostility when waiting times lengthen due
to emergencies. (6)
_ There may be an increase in waiting times for patients with non‑urgent conditions, but
this can be reduced by adhering to the time
recommendations for each category where possible. (6,4) The use of an ENP will
also tackle this problem. (8)
There is a huge amount of literature available relating to triage. I limited my review to the literature which is summarised on the following pages. I chose to research triage, as I have already stated, because I wanted to know the reasons for introducing triage, its benefits, problems and practical aspects such as written policies, number of categories, physical facilities required, documentation, staffing level required. Information gathered suggests to me that the introduction of triage, with its inherent benefits, is a matter of common sense.