Nurses' perceptions of their preparation for triage

Background: Triage is the process of assessment and prioritisation of care for all patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). To improve consistency in triage education the Triage Education Resource Book was introduced in 2002, which contained the Australasian Association of Emergency Nurses (AAEN) 'AAEN recommendations for triage education'. The aim of the research was to determine if triage education met the standards identified in the 'AAEN recommendations for triage education'. Method: A retrospective exploratory design was used to examine triage nurses' perceptions of their preparation for triage practice. Participants were divided into two groups based on their commencement date at triage. Comparisons were made between groups to determine if the 'AAEN recommendations for triage education' influenced participant triage preparation. Data was collected by self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, correlations and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS. Results: Triage education provision increased following the introduction of the 'AAEN recommendations for triage education', however of concern, is the finding that participation in annual triage auditing has declined since the introduction of the recommendations. Conclusion: The 'AAEN recommendations for triage education' have contributed to improvements in triage nurse preparation.