The triage role in emergency nursing: development of an educational programme

Abstract

This study explores the professional and educational development of emergency nurses and their beliefs regarding the appropriate content for a triage educational programme. A descriptive survey was conducted of emergency nurses employed by randomly selected teaching and non-teaching hospitals. Data analysis showed that emergency nurses used various methods to prepare and maintain their triage expertise. The survey found that the best method to prepare the novice emergency nurse for the triage role was to use a combination of a triage educational programme and clinical experience. Respondents indicated great interest in enrolling in an educational programme and, as a result of this survey, a comprehensive triage educational programme has been developed.