Abstract

Poster presentation

Session G presented Tuesday, October 1, 1:00-2:00 pm

Purpose: As is it difficult to predict the number of patients arriving each day to the emergency department, triage is an important process to determine severity of illness and prioritize patient emergencies with implications for patient safety.1 It is essential that the emergency nurse uses decision-making and critical thinking to improve patient outcomes.2-4 However, it has been noted that several risk screenings have been added to the triage process. These screenings may contribute to extended triage decision-making time and increased interruptions. The purpose of this study was to determine emergency nurse perceptions of the triage process and identify essential and non-essential screenings included therein.

Design: This study employs a qualitative descriptive research design.

Setting: Large, urban, academic health center in the Midwestern United States.

Participants/Subjects: Front-line emergency nurses who conduct triage and have at least 6 months experience in the emergency department.

Methods: This study employs a qualitative descriptive research design with front-line emergency nurses from a large, urban, academic health center in the Midwestern United States. Focus groups will discuss perceptions of risk screenings with thirty nurses who conduct triage in the emergency department. Focus group discussion will be digitally recorded and transcribed. Data analysis will consist of descriptive statistics of the sample and content analysis of the transcripts.

Results/Outcomes: Results pending.

Implications: Identifying perceptions of emergency nurses surrounding risk screenings in triage and the screenings deemed necessary to complete a safe patient assessment is a vital first step in the development of a streamlined evidence-based triage risk screening process.

Author Details

Brittany E. Punches, PhD, RN, CEN; Carolyn R. Smith, PhD, RN; Kimberly D. Johnson, PhD, RN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Emergency, Assessment, Triage

Conference Name

Emergency Nursing 2019

Conference Host

Emergency Nurses Association

Conference Location

Austin, Texas, USA

Conference Year

2019

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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Perceptions on essential vs non-essential screenings conducted in triage

Austin, Texas, USA

Poster presentation

Session G presented Tuesday, October 1, 1:00-2:00 pm

Purpose: As is it difficult to predict the number of patients arriving each day to the emergency department, triage is an important process to determine severity of illness and prioritize patient emergencies with implications for patient safety.1 It is essential that the emergency nurse uses decision-making and critical thinking to improve patient outcomes.2-4 However, it has been noted that several risk screenings have been added to the triage process. These screenings may contribute to extended triage decision-making time and increased interruptions. The purpose of this study was to determine emergency nurse perceptions of the triage process and identify essential and non-essential screenings included therein.

Design: This study employs a qualitative descriptive research design.

Setting: Large, urban, academic health center in the Midwestern United States.

Participants/Subjects: Front-line emergency nurses who conduct triage and have at least 6 months experience in the emergency department.

Methods: This study employs a qualitative descriptive research design with front-line emergency nurses from a large, urban, academic health center in the Midwestern United States. Focus groups will discuss perceptions of risk screenings with thirty nurses who conduct triage in the emergency department. Focus group discussion will be digitally recorded and transcribed. Data analysis will consist of descriptive statistics of the sample and content analysis of the transcripts.

Results/Outcomes: Results pending.

Implications: Identifying perceptions of emergency nurses surrounding risk screenings in triage and the screenings deemed necessary to complete a safe patient assessment is a vital first step in the development of a streamlined evidence-based triage risk screening process.