Triage Nursing Secrets

I. Overview 1.Triage Essence and Process 2.Triage Systems and Acuities 3.History Secrets 4.Physical Assessment 5.Vital Signs 6.Pain Assessment and Management 7.Triage Diagnostics 8.Protocol Samples 9.Decision-Making and Prioritization Principles 10.Documentation Issues II. Special Considerations 11.Pediatrics 12.Using A Color-Coded System to Estimate Weight at Triage 13.Geriatric Considerations 14.Gender-Related Considerations 15.Cultural Competencies in Triage 16. Heavy Users ("Frequent Flyers") III. Symptoms 17.Rashes 18.Fever 19.Headache 20.Closed Head Injury 21.Dental Pain/Tooth Avulsion 22.Triage and Differential Diagnosis of the Patient with Ear Pain: A Basic Primer 23.Stiff or Sore Neck 24.Sore Throat 25.Vision Changes 26.Shortness of Breath 27.Chest Pain Triage 28.Cough IV. Abdominal Complaints 29.Nausea and Vomiting 30.Diarrhea and Dehydration 31.Peritonitis 32.Upper Abdominal Presentations 33.Lower Abdominal Pain 34.Gynecological-Related Abdominal Pain 35.Triage and Assessment of Male Genital Pain 36.Pregnancy Considerations 37.Dysuria V. Orthopedics 38.Low Back Pain 39.Extremity Trauma VI. Wounds 40.Lacerations and Puncture Wounds 41.Foreign Bodies 42.Piercings (Self-Inflicted) 43.Burns 44.Amputations 45.Minor Motor Vehicle Crashes VII. Balance Alterations 46.Falls in the Elderly 47.Dizziness, Vertigo, and Weakness 48.Syncope VIII. Environmental 49.Bites and Stings 50.Near Drowning 51.Environmental Thermo-Emergencies IX. Psychiatric 52.Triage of the Psychiatric Patient 53.Depression and Suicide 54.Drug Overdoses/Ingestion/Poisoning (Accidental) 55.Differentiating Dementia from Delirium 56.Domestic Violence 57.Bullying 58.Child Abuse 59.Elder Abuse 60.Sexual Assault 61.Alcohol Use and Abuse X. Disaster and Terrorism Issues 62.Weapons of Mass Destruction/Mass Casualty Incident Triage XI. Regulatory Issues 63.Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) XII. System Issues 64.Fast Track 65.Phone Triage 66.Prehospital/Emergency Medical (EMS) Triage 67.Trauma Systems and Triage 68.Occupational Health Considerations 69.Violence issues 70.Waiting Room 71.Language and Interpretation Issues 72.Ethics in Triage: One Ethicist Speaks 73.Customer Service/Patient Satisfaction XIII. Triage Personnel Issues 74.Personnel Qualifications 75.Education and Training for Triage Nurses 76.Taking Care of Yourself and Your Staff 77.PDA Use XIV. International Standardized 5-Level Triage Systems 78.ENA/ACEP Five-Level Triage Work Group 79.The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Triage Scale 80.Manchester Triage Scale (MTS) 81.Australian Triage Scale (ATS): A 5-Tier Triage Emergency Scale 82.Canada Triage and Acuity Scale 83.Process of Changing an ED from a 3-Level to a 5-Level System XV. Samples and Examples 84.Effective Test Questions for Measuring Triage Competency