Evaluation of Knowledge and Ability of Faculty Members Based on Emergency Severity Index-IV Hospital Triage System

Abstract BACKGROUND: Triage is a vital step in patients’ entry into the emergency room, and it is a high-volume and intensive process. The present study was conducted to investigate the knowledge and ability of medical sciences faculty members based on the Emergency Severity Index (ESI)-IV system. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical epidemiological study was conducted on academic faculty members of Jundishapur University in Ahvaz after obtaining the necessary permits from the Research Council and Research Ethics Committee. The study tool was the knowledge and performance questionnaire of the hospital’s emergency triage system. Fifty-one of the 60 respondents completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: About 66.7% of male academic staff members were married (90.2%). About 45.1% (23 people) have been a faculty member for 1–5 years, and 72.5% (37 people) have held the rank of assistant professor. The level of awareness, the level of decision-making, and the overall score of the academic staff members were measured based on the ESI-IV hospital triage system, and it was at an average level. The level of awareness ( P = 0.04) and decision-making ( P = 0.03) based on ESI-IV was significantly higher among faculty members with emergency medicine majors than those with other majors. CONCLUSION: This study’s results showed that the knowledge and decision-making level of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences faculty members is medium to high, and planning for in-service training courses can increase this level.