Role, Function, and Utilization of the Triage Nurse

摘要

A continued need for increase in emergency services by a consumer conscious public has resulted in marked increases in emergency services being given. The resultant increases in service have led to both role expansion and extension for the nurse working in emergency services. Many subspecialties have developed within the speciality of emergency nursing leading to much confusion as to what some of the roles of the nurse actually are. One such expanded/extended role that suffers from such confusion is that of the triage nurse. this study investigated what role triage nurses were actually performing and compared the role to a model role developed from the literature. Fifty-five nurses (fifty nurses and five supervisors) selected as a convenience sample participated in the study. The study was limited to five hospitals having over a 300-bed capacity in one metropolitan city in a mid-western state. (Author)