title: Triage in accident and emergency 1: An overview of the literature.
abstract: This article, the first of two parts, reviews the concept of triage. The purpose is to make sense of the literature, and to provide an overview of the triage process. Although there are areas of consensus within the literature on triage, e.g. that accident and emergency (A&E) attendances and waiting lists are continually increasing and that triage can partially remedy these negative trends, contradiction and inconsistency between authors' accounts of triage still dominates the literature. This article examines the concepts of waiting times and patient satisfaction. With regards to waiting times, it is suggested that a reassessment of government legislation affecting triage is required if the potential of the concept is to be ascertained. With reference to patient satisfaction, this article recommends that in order to establish whether triage enhances patient satisfaction, universal agreement on how to define it is essential. Within the reviewed literature this is presently elusive. Finally, this article contends that due to the varying infrastructures of A&E departments, implementing universal standards is extremely arduous.
authors.affiliation: Accident and Emergency Department, Torbay Hospital, Torquay.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods*; D014850:Waiting Lists