Triage Skills in COVID-19 Disaster for Community Health Nurses in Primary Health Care Centers

Selim Abd Allah, Seham; Abd El Hakiem, Hanaa; Fouad Melika, Ferial

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2024.399537

Triage Skills in COVID-19 Disaster for Community Health Nurses in Primary Health Care Centers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Emergency department supervisor at 6th October Central Hospital

² Professor of Family and Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing Ain Shams University

10.21608/ejhc.2024.399537

Abstract

Background: The current pandemic of COVID-19 has led to a substantial increase in the demands on health care services, the clinical demands will exceed the ability to deliver basic critical care. Triage system enable to best allocate available critical care resources to meet severe surge to maximize benefit for the greatest number of people. Aim: This study aimed to assess triage skills in Covid-19 disaster for community health nurses in primary health care center. Research design: Descriptive analytical study was utilized to conduct the study. Setting: The study was conduct at 33unites of Primary Health Care units, Maternal and Child Health Care Centers and Family Health Centers in Cairo Governorate. Sampling: A purposive sample composed of 112 nurse chosen randomly. Tools: Different tools were used for data collection of study include, first tool: self-administration questionnaire to assess sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and factors affecting triage skills of the study sample, second tool: An observational check list to assess nurse’s triage practice. Results: The study revealed that 78.6% of nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge about triage skills and 68.7% of them had inadequate practices. The administrative factors were the main factors affecting triage skills according to nurses response for 92.9%. Conclusions: There was highly significant relation between nurses’ total knowledge about triage and their years of experience and practice. Also there was significant relation between nurses practice and factors affecting triage skills as suitability of triage clinic with P value 0.05. Recommendation: Further intervention studies should be conducted to improve nurses’ knowledge and practices about triage for proper care of large number of patients during disaster period.

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