Beyond the Triage Tool: Nurses’ Assessment Competencies and Contextual Challenges in Emergency Department Triage

This quantitative study evaluated the assessment competencies and contextual challenges of 44 triage nurses in a general hospital setting in Saudi Arabia using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design. The study revealed that triage nurses possess high assessment competencies across both skills (M=3.42) and professional judgment (M=3.45), despite operating in environments with high contextual challenges, led by cultural factors (M=3.47) and manpower constraints (M=3.40). Inferential analysis indicated no significant correlation between overall contextual challenges and overall assessment competencies (r=0.158,p=0.304), proving that nurses maintain stable clinical competencies and demonstrate professional resilience despite highly stressful and restrictive practice environments. Demographic and professional attributes showed no significant relationship with competency domains, with the sole exception of sex affecting overall competency (p=0.017).