Effect of a Triage Educational Intervention on Nurses' Knowledge and the Efficiency of Urgent Care in Saudi Arabia

Emergency department overcrowding affects patient safety and service efficiency. Although the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) is widely implemented in Saudi Arabia, variability in triage accuracy remains as a result of limited formal training. This study assessed the impact of a structured CTAS educational intervention on nurses' triage knowledge and the performance of a hospital-based urgent care center.

A quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design was used. Fifteen nurses at a high-volume urgent care center completed a 1-day CTAS Proficiency Training Course. A 15-item scenario-based questionnaire measured knowledge before and after training. The urgent care center time-based indicators (registration-to-triage, triage-to-decision, and total length of stay) were extracted for 1 month before and after the intervention, covering 33,720 patient visits. Data were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

Knowledge scores improved significantly (p = .015). All of the urgent care center time intervals decreased (p < .001), with CTAS Level II waiting times dropping from 33 to 9 minutes.

The CTAS training enhanced nurse triage knowledge and improved urgent care efficiency. Structured triage education is recommended.