The trauma report nurse: a trauma triage process improvement project

Accurate trauma triage is imperative to facilitate appropriate resource mobilization for severely injured trauma patients. A critical window of opportunity exists to prevent secondary injury or death. Timely assessment with a multidisciplinary trauma team is essential to facilitate rapid diagnosis and treatment. However, consistent and accurate trauma triage proved daunting at our institution, resulting in instances of undertriage.

A process improvement strategy aimed at improving trauma triage accuracy was implemented. An innovative role, the trauma report nurse (TRN), was created and became the trauma nurse expert. The TRN was responsible for assigning a trauma triage level to all incoming adult and pediatric trauma patients. In parallel, improvements were made to the prehospital report format, increasing standardization and clarifying hand-off verbiage.

Undertriage rates dropped from 14% to 4.8%. Qualitative data demonstrated acceptance and support of the TRN role among physicians, nurses and nursing and ancillary staff.

Designating trauma triage to an ED registered nurse proved to reduce undertriage rates. By providing staff education, infrastructure improvements, and leadership support, the role continues to thrive, resulting in improved care for severely injured trauma patients.