Strategies to enhance knowledge of triage amongst nurses working in the emergency departments of the Sekhukhune district hospitals, Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Many deaths in hospitals occur within 24 hours of admission. Some of these deaths could be prevented if the patients were effectively triaged, identified quickly and treatment initiated without delay. Triage and emergency care have always been weak and under-emphasized components of healthcare systems in Africa and yet, if well organized, could lead to saving many lives and reducing the ultimate costs of care. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop strategies to enhance knowledge of triage amongst nurses working in the Emergency Departments of the Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Study method: By employing a quantitative, non-experimental research method, 84 nurses working in the Emergency Departments, completed and submitted structured questionnaires. Validity and reliability were insured by pre-testing the data collection instrument on respondents who were not part of the main study. Data were analyzed by using the SPSS and Excel computer programmes with the assistance of the University statistician. Results: Findings indicated that there is an association between triage knowledge and Job title (p-value = 0.046). Registered nurses, specialty nurses and enrolled nurses were found to have more knowledge than auxiliary nurses. However, from those nurses with the knowledge, the study discovered that most of the respondents (61%) exercised poor triage practice compared with those nurses (30%) exercising good practice. Conclusion: The results of this study show that having triage knowledge does not automatically equate with good triage practice. Therefore, it is recommended to integrate knowledge with experience and continued professional development to yield good triage practice.