The Role of The Triage Nurse Deployment in Reducing Triage Time in Emergency Department

Emergency Departments (ED) operate under high-pressure conditions where rapid and accurate triage is essential to ensure optimal patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether the assignment of dedicated triage nurses could reduce triage procedure time in the ED. The study employed an observational cross-sectional design using secondary data extracted from the Hospital Information System (HIS) at XYZ Private Hospital, Bogor. The intervention involved assigning trained triage nurses for each shift starting in June 2024, replacing the previous practice of ad hoc triage by available nurses. The results showed a significant reduction in median triage time from 4 minutes and 11 seconds to 2 minutes and 23 seconds after the intervention (p-value = <0.001). These findings indicate that structural changes in workforce allocation can improve triage efficiency. However, other influencing factors such as daily visit volume, shift-based workload, and the complexity of clinical cases may also affect triage duration. This study did not disaggregate data by triage category or shift, suggesting the need for further research to assess the intervention's impact more comprehensively. With global Emergency Room (ER) visits increasing by 30%, the implementation of a fast and accurate triage system, led by well-trained nurses, is essential. Hospitals are advised to adopt triage nurse assignment policies, provide ATS-based training, and conduct routine monitoring and evaluation as part of continuous quality improvement in emergency care.