The Effect of Utilizing the Triage Guidelines to Categorize Patient Severity on the Accuracy of Severity Index-Based Patient Triage and Registered nurses’ Satisfaction

Abstract

The objectives of this quasi-experimental study were to examine the results of utilizing the triage guidelines for categorizing patients according to their levels of emergency, and to assess the satisfaction of registered nurses on the use of patient triage guidelines in the emergency department, Padad Hospital, Chiang Rai Province. Study samples consisted of two groups, including: 1) 13 registered nurses working in the emergency department, Padad Hospital, who were purposively selected and voluntarily participated in the research; and 2) two groups of medical records of service recipients at the emergency department before and after using the triage guidelines, 385 records per group, totaling 770 records. Data were collected between March and November 2023 using validated tools, including the guidelines for categorizing patients according to their levels of emergency, and a satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Chi-squared test. The results showed that after the trial of using the triage guidelines, the accuracy of patient triage increased from 85.57% to 92.73% with a statistical significant difference at the 0.05 level (χ² = 8.623, df=1, p=0.003). The registered nurses’ satisfaction on the guidelines utilization was at highest level (= 4.50, SD =0.50). It is concluded that the triage guidelines for categorizing patients according to their levels of emergency can be used to increase the efficiency of patient classification. However, before applying this guidelines, new operators should be trained in how to use them and understand their use every time.