ESI program develops swift decision-making skills that lead to better patient outcomes, Emergency Nurses Association says.
The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) this week boosted the value of its Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage training courses by offering seven contact hours to nurses who enhance their triage skills and decision-making abilities by completing triage education.
Emergency nurses, as part of continuing education, can earn the contact hours when taking the Adult/Pediatric Course—including the Spanish-language version—and the Pediatric Course, ENA said in a press release.
Triage accuracy must overcome factors such as bias, environmental conditions, interruptions, experience, and time constraints to get patients to the correct care with the appropriate amount of urgency, the ENA said. The ESI program is relied upon by about 80% of U.S. hospitals for emergency nurses to assess patient acuity based on their presentation in the emergency department and the expected level of care they will require, ENA said.
Online ESI training guides nurses to better identify patients who should be seen first, while prioritizing the care of patients with less-emergent conditions. A well-implemented ESI program assists emergency departments in the rapid identification of patients in need of immediate attention and trains emergency nurses in the swift decision-making skills that lead to improved patient outcomes, ENA said.
"Being able to quickly and accurately triage every person who arrives in the emergency department sets the tone for delivering the best care possible to patients when they need us most," ENA President Ron Kraus, MSN, RN, EMT, CEN, ACNS-BC, TCRN, said in the release. "Aligning CNE with the premier triage education is a no-brainer as part of ENA's commitment to helping ED nurses grow clinically and professionally."
ENA acquired the five-level ESI triage system in 2019 to drive better learning retention by using an easier-to-navigate design. The triage system allows nurses to go at their own pace, improves accessibility to key information, and integrates more user customization through practice scenarios.
ENA also has expanded ESI’s reach by working with hospital systems interested in providing their nurses with state-of-the-art triage education and, in 2020, partnering with Poland's Ministry of Health to bring triage training to nearly 1,400 nurses there.
“Being able to quickly and accurately triage every person who arrives in the emergency department sets the tone for delivering the best care possible to patients when they need us most.”
ENA President Ron Kraus, MSN, RN, EMT, CEN, ACNS-BC, TCRN
Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Emergency Severity Index is relied upon by about 80% of U.S. hospitals for emergency nurses.
A well-implemented ESI program trains for swift decision-making skills that lead to improved patient outcomes.
ENA acquired the five-level ESI triage system in 2019 to drive better learning retention.