Interruptions during triage: Characteristics and nurses' perception

Triage is the first point of contact for individuals presenting to the Emergency Department. An accurate initial assessment is essential to ensure an appropriate care pathway; however, interruptions during this phase may compromise nurses' decision-making.

To investigate the characteristics of interruptions during triage activities and the perception of nursing staff.

A descriptive observational study was conducted in the Emergency Department of a major teaching hospital in Milan, Italy. Interruptions were identified by direct field observation, while nurses' perceptions of the phenomenon were explored through a specifically designed questionnaire.

573 triage activities were assessed, of which 131 (22.86%) were interrupted; 23 activities (4.01%) were interrupted more than once. The median duration of interruptions was 17 s [10;37]. Twenty-four nurses completed the questionnaire. All respondents reported having been interrupted at least once during their professional activity; 87.5% of respondents believe that interruptions have become more frequent over the years.

Our results confirm the multifaceted nature of the problem. The development of targeted strategies to prevent interruptions during the triage process is a key challenge for reducing nurses' exposure to the risk of clinical assessment errors and safeguarding patient safety.