Triage Practices

we see 125-175 patients per day, we have one triage nurse 24/7 and one tech from 7a-11p. Our patients sign in at a window, (the triage RN can at this time do a quick check to make sure the patient can sit in the waiting room without problems,) and then they are called back in order of severity of c/o. Our registration personnel do not see the pt until they have been seen by an RN.

Our ER is most always full, and triaging has become quite an art. A good triage nurse correlating with a good charge nurse is the key in our er. When the patient is triaged, we enter their data in the computer (name, age, c/o) and do vital signs and a triage assessment, then they either go to the back to be put in a room or go to the waiting room. In an ideal world, our patients in the waiting room are supposed to be reassessed by the triage nurse every hour. (this never happens)

currently we operate on a three level triaging system, but the 5 level is waiting in the wings...