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

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.