Guidelines for developing digital triage tools to mitigate workload challenges: A scoping review

Digital technologies are increasingly adopted in medical triage to address healthcare providers' workload; however, workload-related effects remain insufficiently understood. This scoping review synthesizes how workload has been conceptualized, addressed, and evaluated in technology-supported medical triage. Following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, six databases were searched (2020-2025), yielding 16 empirical studies across diverse triage contexts. The findings indicate that workload has been predominantly used as contextual justification rather than as an explicit evaluation target. Digital technologies were primarily evaluated using self-reported or performance-based methods, with workload-related implications inferred. No study systematically incorporated physiological workload measures. Although these technologies often improved performance, they did not consistently reduce workload and, in some cases, introduced additional demands. Technology interventions tended to redistribute rather than reduce workload. This review provides a foundation for evaluating workload in ways aligned with the intended functions of digital triage technologies, informing their human-centered design and evaluation.