Use of multiple pedagogies to promote confidence in triage decision making: a pilot study

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether the addition of educational interventions to required clinical hours promotes confidence in triage decision making among nursing students enrolled in a final capstone course.

An experimental design was implemented with randomization of students (n = 14) to 1 of 3 intervention groups or the control group. The Triage Decision Making Inventory was used as a pretest-posttest. Educational strategies implemented included an Advanced Cardiac Life Support course and simulations with debriefing. Interventions were in addition to required clinical hours.

A mixed analysis of variance was used to examine the 4 groups by time, with all groups exhibiting higher scores on the Triage Decision Making Inventory from the pretest to the posttest (F (3, 10) = 4.51, P = .03 (η(2) = .575). Students who received both the simulations and the Advanced Cardiac Life Support course demonstrated a significant difference across time.

As nursing education evolves with the integration of technology, the combination of multiple pedagogies also can enhance confidence in triage decision making among experienced and novice nurses in emergency settings.