Emergency department triage: a program assessment using the tools of continuous quality improvement

An assessment was undertaken in the emergency department of a busy tertiary care center to illustrate the role of continuous quality improvement in the evaluation of an emergency triage program that utilizes the emergency medical attendant to provide triage. An evaluation team interviewed triage staff, charge nurses, internal customers, risk management, and the patient representative. A detailed review of staff job descriptions, organization charts, orientation manual, and physical facilities was conducted. A chart audit was completed on 100 triage notes. Direct observation was undertaken on nine occasions. An evaluation of the data gathered was performed using the tools of continuous quality improvement, and resulted in specific recommendations being made to improve the process of care. It was concluded that emergency medical attendants function very well in an emergency medicine triage system and the tools of continuous quality improvement can be applied to a clinical service to improve the quality of care.