Development of patient classification system Outpatient work and emergency accidents Na Chueak Hospital Maha Sarakham Province

Abstract

This action research aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a patient triage system for the outpatient and emergency departments at Na Chueak Hospital, Maha Sarakham Province.The study participants included 13 registered nurses working in the outpatient and emergency departments and 400 patients who received services during the study period, selected through purposive sampling.The study was conducted in three phases: Phase 1 preparation, Phase 2 development of the patient triage system and Phase 3 evaluation of system performance. Research instruments consisted of a patient triage ability assessment form, a satisfaction questionnaire, and the developed patient triage system itself.Data were collected between December 2023 and August 2024 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

Results: The developed patient triage system comprised four components. The nurses demonstrated a triage accuracy rate of 92.30% and reported a high level of satisfaction with the system (86.67%, mean = 4.41, SD = 0.33). After implementation, the under-triage rate decreased to 1.75% in 2024, and no cases of patient deterioration while waiting for treatment were observed.

Conclusion :The developed triage system provided a clear operational framework and effective tools that enhanced the accuracy of patient assessment.The findings indicate that the implementation of a structured triage system can significantly reduce errors in severity classification and improve the quality and safety of emergency nursing services.