Nursing Perceptions of the Emergency Severity Index as a Triage Tool in the United Arab Emirates: A Qualitative Analysis

Although emergency nurses perceive the ESI as easy to use, there are concerns about the subjectivity and variability inherent in the ESI that can lead to a functional lack of triage and a burden of undifferentiated ESI level 3 patients. These limitations in separating critically ill patients and in stratifying patients based on anticipated required resources points to the need for improvement in the ESI algorithm or a more objective triage system that can predict patient outcomes.Contribution to Emergency Nursing Practice
- This qualitative analysis of nursing perceptions of the emergency severity index (ESI) highlights the importance of nursing input when implementing triage systems and describes perceived barriers and strengths when using the ESI.
- Knowledge of these specific factors may prove useful in the development and implementation of triage systems in emergency departments around the globe.