Effectiveness of Nurse Led Triage Interventions on Patient Outcomes in Emergency Departments: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

Background: Emergency department (ED) crowding compromises timely care and patient safety. Nurse led triage interventions, including physician led triage, triage liaison providers, and advanced triage protocols, have implemented to improve patient flow, but their overall effectiveness on patient outcomes remains uncertain.Objective: To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of nurse led triage interventions on critical patient outcomes in EDs.Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science from inception to March ۲۰۲۶ for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and high quality quasi experimental studies comparing nurse led triage interventions with conventional triage. Primary outcomes were ED length of stay (LOS), left without being seen (LWBS) rates, and mortality. Random effects meta analyses performed. Certainty of evidence assessed using GRADE.Results: Twelve studies (N=۱۲,۸۴۷ patients) met inclusion criteria. Nurse led triage interventions significantly reduced ED LOS (SMD = –۰.۶۸; ۹۵% CI: –۰.۸۵ to –۰.۵۱; p<۰.۰۰۱), decreased LWBS rates (OR = ۰.۵۱; ۹۵% CI: ۰.۳۸ to ۰.۶۹; p<۰.۰۰۱), and lowered in ED mortality (OR = ۰.۶۱; ۹۵% CI: ۰.۴۴ to ۰.۸۵; p=۰.۰۰۳). Heterogeneity was moderate to high (I²=۵۸–۷۲%).Conclusion: Nurse led triage interventions are associated with clinically meaningful improvements in ED operational and safety outcomes. Implementation of advanced nurse led triage models prioritised to reduce crowding and improve patient outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Nurse led triage ، Emergency Department ، Patient Outcomes ، Waiting times ، Systematic review