What is the impact of team triage as an intervention on waiting times in an adult emergency department? - A systematic review

Nessa Corkery; Pinar Avsar; Zena Moore; Tom O'Connor; Linda Nugent; Declan Patton

doi:10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101043

What is the impact of team triage as an intervention on waiting times in an adult emergency department? - A systematic review

Int Emerg Nurs. 2021 Sep:58:101043. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101043. Epub 2021 Aug 3.

Authors

Nessa Corkery¹, Pinar Avsar², Zena Moore³, Tom O'Connor⁴, Linda Nugent⁵, Declan Patton⁶

Affiliations

¹ St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin 4, Ireland; School of Nursing, The Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: nessa.corkery@gmail.com.
² Skin Wounds and Trauma Research Centre, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland.
³ Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery and Director of the Skin Wounds and Trauma Research Centre, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Fakeeh College of Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium; Lida Institute, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Fakeeh College of Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Lida Institute, Shanghai, China; Director of Academic Affairs and Deputy Head of School, School of Nursing and Midwifery and Lead Researcher, Skin Wounds and Trauma Research Centre, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland.
⁵ Fakeeh College of Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Lecturer and Programme Director, School of Nursing and Midwifery. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland.
⁶ Fakeeh College of Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Director of Nursing and Midwifery Research and Deputy Director of the Skin, Wounds and Trauma Research Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Honorary Senior Fellow, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Australia.

PMID: 34352705
DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2021.101043

Abstract

Aim: To examine the impact of team triage on waiting times in adult emergency departments.

Design: A systematic review using narrative analysis.

Method: Systematic review methodology, which included quantitative research papers consisting of randomized control trials, cohort or quasi-experimental studies. The PICO framework was used to formulate the question. Using a structured search, databases were used to source the research papers. Databases searched were Cochrane, CINAHL and MEDLINE. Twelve (12) research papers met the inclusion criteria. Each of the 12 papers were quality appraised using a recognised checklist. Data extraction was carried out and the findings were analysed using a narrative approach.

Results: It was found that senior emergency doctors in triage alongside the triage nurse allows for more timely decision making and appropriate investigation orders. Early bed requesting or referral to specialist consultation were also found to improve waiting times. Reduced numbers of patients who leave without being seen and lower mortality rates were recorded when using team triage. Patient satisfaction is also improved by team triage.

Conclusion: Team triage improves waiting times in the emergency department.

Keywords: Emergency department; Intervention; Nurse-doctor triage; Team triage; Waiting times.

Publication types

Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Emergency Service, Hospital
Humans
Patient Satisfaction
Referral and Consultation
Triage*
Waiting Lists*