Nursing Personnel Perception and Readiness toward Role of Triage Nurse in Emergency Department

Abstract

Triage is an autonomous nursing role and essential to patient safety and the efficient delivery of emergency care. Purpose of the study was to identify nursing personnel perception and readiness toward role of triage nurse in emergency department. A descriptive design was utilized to meet the purpose of this study. The sample included was simple random sample of staff nurses; their number was 162 staff nurses and all head nurses working at emergency departments and Critical Care Units at Benha University Hospital. Two instruments for data collection: namely; nursing personnel perception questionnaire and nursing personnel readiness questionnaire. The results and conclusion showed that most of both head nurses and staff nurses had a high perception level toward role of triage nurse in emergency department, all head nurse had a high readiness level and the majority of staff nurses had a high readiness level and there was a highly statistically positive correlation between nursing personnel perception and readiness toward role of triage nurse in emergency department (p≤o.oo1). The study recommended; nursing personnel in Benha were in need of education programs about role of triage nurses in emergency department.