Year of Study

Name of Study

Method Employed

Sample of Population

Main
Findings

Criticismsand Notes

Rock D

 

 

1991

 

 

Priorities of
care forwalking wounded

 

Questionnaireand visits x 2rounds

 

344 senior sisters in A/E depts inthe UK

 

34% A/E departments have triage for more than 5 years

 

Study prior toimplementing triage system

 

Pledge M

 

 

 

8 A/E departments visited

22 Questionnaires to A/E department

 

60.3 % of A/E depts

with triage have no

written triage policy

Minimum increase in staffing level of 2.8 required

Gray R

 

 

 

 

1991

 

 

 

 

Introducing triage to a new department

 

 

 

 

Descriptive style

 

 

 

 

 

One A/E department

 

 

 

 

 

Location of triage nurse very important

In-service training programme on triage provided for staff

Triage especially needed when A/E is busy therefore triage nurse not to be moved

Written policy necessary

One A/E department
used

Table of contents of in-service training programme included

Table with summary of advantages oftriage included

Year of Study

Name of Study

Method Employed

Sample of Population

Main
Findings

Criticismsand Notes

Purnell
LDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1991

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A survey of ED triage in 185 hospitals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survey using Questionnair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

256 emergency departments in 5 States of the USA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survey ofcharacteristics of existing triage systems in 5 Mid-Atlantic States, 95.6% have triage

Triage and fast track system decreased patient waiting time by 20%

Special training required for triage

 

 

 

 

Small geographical area surveyed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bolley A Hallam K Hurst K

Triage on trial

 

 

Descriptive style research project. Questionnaire pre and post triage collected

 

400 patients in one A/E department

 

Suggests patient waiting times are closely associated with patient satisfaction

Triage can have a positive effect on these

One hospital study

 

 

Would you like to
wait over there please

Descriptive

 

States need for introduction of triage in the UK

Gives advantages

of triage

Year of Study

Name of Study

Method Employed

Sample of Population

Main
Findings

Criticismsand Notes

Blythin P

 

 

1988

 

 

Triage in the UK

 

 

Descriptive

 

 

Receptionist triage unacceptable

Experienced nurse necessary for triage

 

 

Gives advantages of triage

 

 

 

 

George J. E.

Law and Emergency nurse. Triageprotocol

Descriptive

One Lawsuit

Written protocols important

Triage nurse accountable in law for her decisions

Crouch R Marrow J

 

 

 

 

 

1996

 

 

 

 

 

Would you like to
wait over there please

 

 

 

 

 

Descriptive

 

 

 

 

 

 

24 hour triage must be provided Development of triage scale with 5categories and target times

Uniformity of triage scale enables comparison between A/E departments

Standardisation ensures that triage is a skill that can be easily moved between different A/E departments

Developed by joint working party of RCN A/E Association Executive and the British Association for A/E medicine

Year of Study

Name of Study

Method Employed

Sample of Population

Main
Findings

Criticismsand Notes

Harris J

Kendrick J

The Lifeline of triage

Descriptive

Increased reassessment of and communication with patients in the waiting room is necessary as 3-10% of the patients are admitted to hospital

 

 

Practical strategies are given to enable triage nurse to deal with problems encountered in triage

Paper related to Australian experience

 

Jones G

 

 

 

1995

 

 

 

Triage in the UK

 

 

 

Descriptive

 

 

 

Triage of ambulance patients should be separate from other patients

 

UK Patient Charter should be re-worded and the patient's triage time extended to 15minutes

Triage may be pre or post registration or flexible enough to allow the systems to change depending on the activity of the reception of triage

Ramler CL

Mohamm N

 

 

 

 

1995

 

 

 

 

 

Triage emergency nursing. A physiologic and clinical perspective

 

 

 

 

Descriptive

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reassessment of patients with urgent conditions should be every 30-60 minutes

Non-urgent patients should be reassessed every 1-2 hours

Triage nurses should complete a triage education programme

Some hospitals in the USA have separate job descriptions for triage nurses, which can be used to evaluate performance

The Emergency Nurses Association (1992) recommend at least 6 months A/E experience and formal education with a preceptorship before performing triage independently