Triage in primary healthcare

Abstract

The majority of healthcare visits in Sweden are within the primary healthcare centres with a wide variety of patients, ranging from children to the elderly, varying from trivial to the most acute. The aim was to describe nurses’ experiences of triaging patients at walk-in clinics at primary healthcare centres. Semi-structured interviews with 12 nurses, analysed using qualitative analysis, were used. The overall understanding was that a physical meeting with the patient gave the opportunity for eye contact and physical examination of the patient’s body. With broad expertise and experience, the informants felt more confident in their assessment. Cooperation between colleagues meant always having someone to consult when the informants felt unsure. The result highlight that triage is a challenging and complex task for informants. In order to be able to triage in an effective way, the informant must possess broad competence through solid knowledge and experience.