title: Nurse triage in theory and in practice.
abstract: 'Nurse Triage' refers to the formal process of early assessment of patients attending an accident and emergency (A&E) department by a trained nurse, to ensure that they receive appropriate attention, in a suitable location, with the requisite degree of urgency. The benefits claimed for nurse triage include better patient outcomes, through clinical management reaching those in greatest need of it first. A recent study of nurse triage in a British A&E department failed to demonstrate the benefits claimed: patients undergoing triage were delayed, especially those in the most urgent groups. No differences were noted between the two study groups in levels of satisfaction with the A&E process. The results brought forth criticism from all quarters. In this paper the points made by the critics are considered, and an attempt to answer them is made.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Medicine, University of Sheffield Medical School.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Westlake
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pritty
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraser-Moodie
mesh_terms: D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009731:Nursing Audit; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014218:Triage / Q000592:standards*; D006113:United Kingdom