The Influence of Saudi National COVID-19 Preparedness Programs on Triage Decision-Making Skills of Healthcare Practitioners During the 2020 Peak of the 1st Wave of COVID-19

Abstract

Background

As part of the national COVID-19 preparedness efforts in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to overcome the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency rooms’ (ERs) health-care providers were required by their health institutions to receive a triage training program (TTP) as well as involving on a disaster preparedness program (DPP) and/or participation in a mock drill towards disaster response. These efforts attempted to enhance skills of ER health-care providers to make triage decisions, and, consequently, improve patient flow in ERs during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the influence of these hospitals’ educational efforts on the decision-making skills of ERs’ health-care providers has not yet been reported.

Purpose

To identify the effect of hospitals’ COVID-19 preparedness educational efforts on triage decisions by ERs’ health-care practitioners during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A one-group posttest-only design was conducted in ERs of regional hospitals in which Triage Decision-Making Inventory (TDMI) was used to collect data.

Results

About 78%, 70% and 78% of participants had taken TTP, DPP or were involved in mock drills, respectively. Skills of triage decision-makers in critical thinking and confidence have higher mean scores than cognitive and intuition skills. A positive relationship was found between TTP and participants’ cognitive (p=0.01), critical thinking (p=0.03), confidence (p=0.01) and intuition (p=0.02) skills as pertained to triage decision-making. Also, a positive relationship was found between DPP and cognitive abilities (p=0.04), as well as those involved in mock drills and measures of confidence (p=0.03).

Conclusion

TTP may enhance triage decision-making abilities of health-care professionals and contribute in delivering rapid and safe care service during disasters.

Keywords:

• cognition
• emergency
• health practitioners
• COVID-19
• triage
• decision-making

Institutional Review Board Statement

Ethical approval was granted from the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) of the Ministry of Health number (HAP-2-T-067:453). Participants were informed that their participation was entirely voluntary and that any information resulting from the study would be treated with confidentiality.

Data Sharing Statement

Data available on request from the corresponding author due to privacy/ethical restrictions.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Taif University for supporting this study through the University Research Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/194). The authors wish also to express their gratitude to the participants for their significant contribution.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; have drafted, written, and critically reviewed the article; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; reviewed and agreed on all versions of the article before submission, during revision, the final version accepted for publication, and any significant changes introduced at the proofing stage; agree to take responsibility and be accountable for the contents of the article.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.