Effectiveness of Simulation-Based Training on Knowledge & Skills Regarding Triage Management among Healthcare Professionals at Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: It has been stated that “triage in a disaster situation cannot be taught; it must be lived". Triage is a difficult procedure that calls for medical expertise, skills, and knowledge of the casualty's dynamic changes in health. Triage management takes into account a variety of criteria, including the type of incident, the number of patients impacted, transportation requirements, distances, hospital capabilities, and the availability of resources. Healthcare professionals must acquire and enhance their skills in triage.

Objectives: The study objectives were to assess the knowledge of healthcare professionals regarding triage management, assess the skills of healthcare professionals regarding triage management, evaluate the effectiveness of simulation-based training on knowledge & skills of healthcare professionals regarding triage management, determine the association of knowledge of healthcare professional regarding triage management with selected socio-demographic variables, determine the association of skills of healthcare professionals regarding triage management with selected socio-demographic variables.

Materials and Methods: A quantitative research approach and a quasi-experimental research design (Non-Randomized Control Group Design) were used in the study. A total of 118 healthcare professionals working in the Emergency Department & Intensive care unit of selected tertiary care hospitals were selected by total enumeration sampling technique. 59 healthcare professionals were selected in the experimental group and 59 were selected in the control group by the non-randomized method. A socio-demographic and Profession-related data questionnaire prepared by the investigators, a structured knowledge questionnaire, and a structured skill checklist on triage management were used to collect the data from the participants. First, the pre-test was taken for the experimental & control group participants. After that, the intervention was administered only to the healthcare professionals in the experimental group. The post-test was conducted for both experimental and control groups after seven days of the pre-test.

Results: In the experimental group's pre-test, 34% had adequate knowledge, 39% had moderate knowledge, and 27% had inadequate knowledge. Post-intervention, 93% demonstrated adequate knowledge, 7% moderate knowledge, and none had inadequate knowledge. Pre-test skills showed 17% high-level, 19% moderate, and 64% low-level triage skills, while post-test results were 92% adequate, 8% moderate, and none were in the inadequate category. For the control group, the pre-test showed 25% adequate knowledge, 51% moderate, and 24% inadequate. Post-test, 24% were adequate, and 51% moderate. Pre-test skills were 7% high-level, 7% moderate, and 86% low-level, with post-test results maintaining the same distribution. In the experimental group, the pre-knowledge mean was 16.66 (SD = 6.786), increasing significantly post-intervention to 27.08 (SD = 3.616). Skills improved from a mean of 4.71 (SD = 3.922) to 13.53 (SD = 2.285). In the control group, the pre-knowledge mean was 15.20 (SD = 6.504), with no significant change post-intervention (15.24, SD = 6.407). Skills also remained stable (pre: 3.86, SD = 2.974; post: 3.86, SD = 2.927). Significant associations were found between socio-demographic and professional variables like Working department, Duration of work experience, Job Title/Professional Status, Occupation, Gender, Weekly Average shift, Family Income, religion, and education level of doctors.

Conclusion: Based on the study’s findings, it was concluded that the simulation-based training was highly effective in improving the knowledge and skills regarding triage management among healthcare professionals.