THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NURSES KNOWLEDGE OF TRIAGE AND TRIAGE RESPONSE TIME OF PATIENTS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF MITRA PLUMBON HOSPITAL

The increasing number of patient visits in the Emergency Department (ED) requires fast
and accurate services through the triage system. Nurses’ knowledge of triage is essential
because it influences triage response time. This study aimed to determine the relationship
between ED nurses’ knowledge of triage and patients’ triage response time at Mitra
Plumbon Hospital.

This research employed a quantitative descriptive correlational design with a cross-
sectional approach. The sample consisted of all 37 ED nurses, selected using a total

sampling technique. A digital questionnaire was used to assess nurses’ knowledge, and an
observation sheet was used to record patients’ triage response time. Data were collected in
July 2025 and analyzed using the Chi-Square test with a significance level of α = 0.05.
The results showed that nurses’ knowledge of triage was categorized as good (59,5%) and
moderate (40,5%). Meanwhile, most patients’ triage response times were categorized as
fast (70.3%), while the rest were slow (29.7%). The Chi-Square analysis revealed a ρ-value
of 0.000 (ρ <0.05), indicating a significant and fairly strong relationship between nurses’
knowledge of triage and patients’ triage response time in the ED.
It was concluded that better knowledge of triage among nurses was associated with faster
triage response times. The implication of this study is the need for continuous triage
training to improve ED nurses’ competencies and enhance the quality of emergency
services in hospitals.