Impact of Training on Performance of Triage: A Comparative Study in Tehran Emergency Department

Background and Objectives: Emergency departments should adapt the most updated standards in order to maximize their capability in delivering urgent health services. In the present study we assessed the effect of training of triage nurses in Tehran Emergency Department on efficiency and accuracy of triage decision making. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 100 nurses i with mean age of 27 years was randomized into two groups. The first group received training based on the a new triage international guideline and the second (control) group was left untrained. The ability of trained nurses in decision making and classifying the complications was compared with nurses who followed the current routine triage protocol. The categorical variables were compared by Chi-square test. Findings: The total frequency of dispatches based on new international guideline was significantly lower than based on the routine protocol (84% vs. 46%) (P < 0.001). In addition, the proportion of correct dispatches was found to be significantly higher than those by the untrained group (75% vs. 20%) (P < 0.001). Further, frequency of correct triage by trained group turned out to be significantly higher than by the untrained group (80% vs. 30%) (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study provides direct evidence for the positive impact of updated training on improved performance of triage process and encourages similar interventions to achieve higher efficiency in emergency departments.