[SYSTEMATIZATION, ORDER AND SECURITY AS A RESULT OF THE NURSE ASSESSMENT IN PAEDIATRIC EMERGENCY: A METAMORPHOSIS...

To determine from the health care professionals perspective the impact on clinical practice of incorporating an assessment tool for primary care paediatric emergency.

Qualitative study based on the collection of written documents. Twenty-four wide and detailed documents were collected. Thematic analysis was used.

Participants were 9 nurses and 7 paediatricians, all with experience in the Paediatric Emergency Department. The results are grouped into three areas: perception of previous situation; benefits perceived; difficulties of the change process related to the triage instrument. The benefits perceived include the achievement of the objectives related to triage as well as collateral benefits for the organization and distribution of structural resources, adequacy of human resources, self-assessment and professional recognition, improvement of team communication and users service perception. The difficulties identified are related to the feasibility of using this instrument when patient flow is high and to the need of specialized training.

All participants perceived more benefits than disadvantages, and both nurses and paediatricians experienced the process as a positive experience. The introduction of the assessment tool had a broader impact than expected.