Table 1.
Participants' responses to the questionnaire.
| Items | First round% (n = 3) |
Second round% (n = 14) |
Third round% (n = 22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prioritizing patients must be based on patients' acuity | 100 | 86 | 91 |
| Prioritizing patients must not be affected by ED overcrowding and financial status of patients | 66 | 86 | 100 |
| Triage decisions must be made based on evidence | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage decisions must be made based on reliable and valid algorithm | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurse is responsible for patients status until the first physician visit | 66 | 71∗ | — |
| Patients must be assigned to the triage levels based on relevant acuity | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Nurses are not allowed to reject patients from ED | 100 | 93 | 95 |
| Nurses must be committed to the patient bill of rights | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Nurses must identify themselves to patients | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Nurses must have empathy toward patients | 66 | 64∗ | — |
| Patients' culture and value must be respected by triage nurses | 100 | 93 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must manage ethical conflict in triage decisions | 100 | 93 | 91 |
| Triage nurses must manage aggressive patients effectively | 100 | 93 | 86 |
| Triage nurses must have patience | 100 | 100 | 77∗ |
| Triage nurses must handle conflict in a tactful manner | 100 | 57∗ | — |
| Triage nurses must have interpersonal skills | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must perform the first assessment in the ED | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must estimate life-threatening risk of chief complaints | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Except in life-threatening conditions, triage nurses must observe patients at least in 2 minutes | 66 | 86 | 82 |
| Triage nurses must prioritize patients based on assessing respirations, pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature, O2 saturation, and other diagnostic measures | 66 | 93 | 100 |
| Patients should be reassessed when needed | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage decisions must be recorded | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must follow organization's guidelines during decision making | 66 | 86 | 90 |
| In case of doubt, triage nurses must consult with attending physician or head nurse | 100 | 93 | 100 |
| In case of doubt, triage nurses must assign patient to the higher level of acuity | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must reconsider their decisions if requested from medical directors | 100 | 64∗ | — |
| Level I patients must be directed to the CPR room promptly | 100 | 93 | 100 |
| Level I patients must be handed over to the emergency nurses | 100 | 71∗ | — |
| Patients must be informed in either verbal or written way regarding their assigned triage level | 66 | 64∗ | — |
| Patients must be informed that they must inform triage nurses in case of deterioration in their health status | 100 | 86 | 77∗ |
| Triage nurses must explain waiting time to the first visit | 66 | 93 | 82 |
| Triage nurses must explain necessary information relating to the patient condition | 100 | 71∗ | — |
| Triage nurses must explain necessary information relating to alternative facilities for care and treatment | 100 | 71∗ | — |
| Triage nurses must be aware of alternative health care facilities | 100 | 93 | 91 |
| Triage nurses must have a minimum degree of BS in nursing | 100 | 93 | 82 |
| Triage nurses must have a minimum 2-year experience in ED | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must have a minimum 40-hour educational courses annually | 66 | 100 | 73∗ |
| Nurses must be knowledgeable about clinical semiology | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Nurses must be knowledgeable about advanced and basic adult life support | 100 | 86 | 82 |
| Nurses must be knowledgeable about emergencies | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Nurses must be knowledgeable about gynecological, maternal, neonatal, children, and geriatrics emergencies | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Nurses must be knowledgeable about outcome of disease | 100 | 71∗ | — |
| Nurses must participate in at least one emergency research | 100 | 50∗ | — |
| Triage room must be somewhere between emergency department and security room | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage room must be easily recognizable for patients | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage room must have an appropriate view on entrance of ED | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage room must be accessible for ambulances, stretchers, and wheelchairs | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage room must be at least 12 square meters | 100 | 79∗ | — |
| Triage room must be equipped for professionals standard infection control precautions | 100 | 93 | 82 |
| Triage room must have alarm, telephone, and closed-circuit television | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Triage nurses are responsible for facilities of triage room | 100 | 79∗ | — |
| Triage nurses are not permitted to leave the triage room, except for handing over level I patients | 100 | 86 | 77∗ |
| Triage nurses must document triage assignments | 100 | 93 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must report daily and monthly statistics of triage | 100 | 93 | 100 |
| Triage nurses must consider hospital facilities when assigning patients to triage level | — | Proposed | 82 |
| Diagnostic related interventions must be performed by triage nurses | — | Proposed | 41∗ |
| Therapeutic related interventions must be performed by triage nurses | — | Proposed | 55∗ |
| Physician must participate in prioritizing of patients in triage room | — | Proposed | 77∗ |
∗Less than consensus level of 80%.