A perception survey on the roles of nurses during triage in a selected public hospital in Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Abstract

Introduction: triage is gradually becoming an autonomous nursing role essential to patients' safety and the efficient delivery of emergency care. The increased need for more holistic and advanced care during triage makes the role of nurses during triage highly indispensable. However, several studies have shown that nurse-led triage has been so successful over the years in most African countries and in other developing countries. The south African Triage Scale (SATS) is an example of a triage tool that was designed in such a way that the lowest cadre nurse can successfully implement. The success recorded by this tool made most African countries and some other developing countries adopt the tool. The study was designed to explore the roles of nurses during triage in a selected public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Methods: this study utilized a quantitative approach, in which a non-experimental survey involving convenience sampling technique was chosen as the most suitable sampling technique for the study. Recognition-primed decision model formed the framework of the study. Ethical clearance was obtained from University of KwaZulu-Natal Ethics Review Board and ethics principles were observed during the study.

Results: the result of the study indicated that majority (100%) of the respondents perceived that nurses have lots of roles to perform during triage. They further unveiled that it is highly paramount for nurses to manage the waiting room and control overcrowding in the unit.

Conclusion: the study draws on the need for qualified and experienced nurses to be in charge of these roles in order to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates that usually occur during triage administration.