ENA Updates Emergency Severity Index Resources to Improve Patient Triage
March 29, 2023 • esi Triage
Revisions focus on enhanced use of algorithm to avoid misinterpretations and inaccurate decisions
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (March. 28, 2023) – For emergency nurses who expect the unexpected in their emergency department, the ability to rapidly and accurately triage patients can make all the difference when every second counts for providing the best care possible.
Although patient assessment skills are of vital importance, research has found that triage accuracy rates vary widely. On Tuesday, the Emergency Nurses Association advanced its commitment to ensuring timely and precise patient assessments with the release of the Emergency Severity Index Handbook, 5th Edition, and ESI 2.0 online course.
“It cannot be overstated, strong triage education and training absolutely helps save lives in the emergency department,” said ENA President Terry Foster, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, CCRN, TCRN, FAEN. “Every emergency nurse, regardless of experience, can benefit from the type of triage education included in these ESI resources.”
The latest handbook update includes evidence-driven assessment tools, clarifying language to prevent misinterpretations and a look into how racism, bias and stigmas can lead to inaccurate triage decisions. The all-new course exam includes numerous patient case examples that truly tests how a nurse applies ESI.
ESI was created in 1998 to give nurses a triage resource to assist them with determining patient acuity based on their presentation and the expected level of care they will require. In 2019, ENA acquired the ESI five-level triage system used by nearly every emergency nurse in the United States. In addition to the updates released on Tuesday, ENA announced the ESI Pediatrics 2.0 online course will debut soon.
For more information on ESI and all of ENA’s triage education offerings, visit ena.org/triage.
