Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
The most recent articles from:
J Emerg Nurs
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Comparative Study
A comparison of wait times and patients leaving without being seen when licensed nurses versus unlicensed assistive personnel perform triage.
In today's health care environment, nurses are sometimes substituted with unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), despite the lack of research into the possible negative effects. This study compared the wait time and the number of patients who left without being seen (LWBS) between triage systems that use nurses (including licensed practical nurses, nurses with an associate's degree, and nurses with a baccalaureate degree) versus UAP. ⋯ Results of this study show that a triage system using nurses provided more services during triage and were associated with less wait time after triage and a decreased likelihood of patients LWBS compared with the triage system using UAP.