Effects of Emergency Nursing Competency, Critical Thinking Disposition, and Grit on Triage Competency among Nurses in Emergency Room
Purpose: As emergency department (ED) overcrowding becomes a global issue, triage is essential to improve patient sur...
Effects of Emergency Nursing Competency, Critical Thinking Disposition, and Grit on Triage Competency among Nurses in Emergency Room
Purpose: As emergency department (ED) overcrowding becomes a global issue, triage is essential to improve patient survival rates and ensure safety by preventing under- or over-triage. Given that nurses handle most triage tasks in Korean EDs, it is crucial to find ways to enhance their triage competency. This descriptive study aimed to identify the effects of emergency nursing competency, critical thinking disposition, and grit on triage competency to provide foundational data for developing educational programs.
Methods: Data were collected from September 1 to September 15, 2025. The participants were 130 nurses with at least one year of experience who had completed KTAS (Korean Triage and Acuity Scale) training and had triage experience in EDs across six regions (A, Y, D, S, K, and M cities). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 30.0, utilizing frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA with Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis.
Results: 1. The mean scores were: emergency nursing competency, 3.70±0.53; critical thinking disposition, 3.59±0.47; grit, 3.04±0.68; and triage competency, 4.06±0.53 (all out of 5). 2. The participants' triage competency showed significant differences according to their emergency room (ER) career (F=9.52, p<.001) and triage experience (F=13.44, p<.001) among their general characteristics 3. Triage competency was significantly positively correlated with emergency nursing competency (r=.64, p<.001), critical thinking disposition (r=.61, p<.001), and grit (r=.37, p<.001). 4. The factors significantly influencing triage competency were identified as triage experience duration (≥18 months) (β=.38, p=.003), emergency nursing competency (β=.29, p=.007), and critical thinking disposition (β=.21, p=.029), with an explanatory power of 61.8%.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that triage experience, emergency nursing competency, and critical thinking disposition are key determinants of triage competency. To enhance this competency, it is necessary to foster a clinical environment that encourages critical thinking and questioning without blame. Furthermore, organizational support for career development and systematic educational programs to improve emergency nursing competency and critical thinking disposition should be established.
Keywords: Triage Competency, Emergency Nursing Competency, Critical Thinking Disposition, KTAS, Triage Nurse