Triage level assignment and nurse characteristics and experience.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The emergency department (ED) relies on efficient triage for patient prioritization.
• Understanding factors influencing triage decisions is crucial for optimizing patient flow and care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between nursing staff demographics and experience and their assignment of triage levels in the ED.
• To identify how nurse characteristics affect patient classification within the Andorran-Spanish triage model.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study was conducted over one year in a tertiary care urban university hospital.
• Data collected included nurse demographics (age, gender), experience (nursing, triage), shift, and patient triage levels assigned (1-5).

Main Results:

• Older nurses and those with greater experience were significantly more likely to assign higher triage levels (Level 5).
• Morning shift nurses assigned Level 5 more frequently than afternoon shift nurses.
• The total number of patients triaged by a nurse correlated with assignments to Level 3 (positively) and Levels 4 and 5 (inversely).

Conclusions:

• Triage level assignments in the ED are significantly influenced by nurse age, experience, shift, and patient volume.
• These findings highlight the importance of considering nurse-specific factors in ED triage protocols and staffing.