The effect of triage nurse on self-visited patients with acute ischemic stroke in the emergency department

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Intravenous thrombolytic therapy significantly improves the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, timely implementation of protocol in AIS relates to reducing the door-to-needle time (DNT). The purpose of this research was to identify the effect of triage nurse on self-visited AIS patients. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective observational study conducted from January 2016 to January 2022. Self-visited AIS patients in the emergency department were enrolled. We compared specific stroke metrics before and after the initiation of the triage nurse. The following metrics were included: number of stroke protocols, number of rt-PA, and DNT. Results: A total of 79 AIS patients were analyzed in this study. After the implementation of nurse triage measures, the proportion of stroke protocol increased from 2 cases to 12 cases (P<0.05), and the median DNT was shortened from 115 min to 73 min (P<0.05). Conclusion: A nurse triage is an important factor in significantly increasing stroke protocol and shortening DNT, reducing the delay of intravenous thrombolysis in the hospital.