Exploring the concept and structure of obstetric triage: a qualitative content analysis

Abstract

Background Obstetric triage is a new idea, so the design and implementation of it requires identification of its concept and structure. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the concept and structure of the obstetric triage in Iran. Methods The purposive sampling was done and it continued until reaching the theoretical saturation. Thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted individually and face-to-face. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results Two themes, 8 main categories, and 16 subcategories emerged from the content analysis of the interviews and observations. The themes were the concept and structure of obstetric triage. The concept of obstetric triage consisted of three categories of nature, process, and philosophy of obstetric triage. The structure of obstetric triage included five categories of assessment criteria, emergency grading, determining the appropriate location for patient guidance, initiation of diagnostic and therapeutic measures, and timeframe for initial assessment and reassessment. Conclusion Findings highlighted that obstetric triage is a process with a dual and dynamic nature. This process involves clinical decision making to prioritize the pregnant mother and her fetus based on the severity and acuity of the disease in order to allocate medical resources and care for providing appropriate treatment at the right time and place to the right patient. The results of this study could be used for the design and implementation of the obstetric triage system.

Antepartum Emergency Department Use and Associations with Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in a Large Hospital System

“…Obstetric triage promotes faster response to urgent situations, improves maternal and fetal care and bed utilization, avoids unnecessary admissions, reduces the waiting time and patient's stay, increases patient satisfaction and the efficiency of departments while reducing their costs, and reduces maternal mortality. 22 However, maintaining an obstetric triage unit that is distinct from a labor and delivery unit requires a large and well-staffed obstetrics department, which is why it is generally restricted to large institutions.…”

The midwives’ experiences of the use of obstetric triage and obstetric triage tool during labour in Bojanala district

“…Obstetric triage (OBT) refers to comprehensive assessment using an OBT assessment tool, which includes a series of examinations to evaluate foetal and maternal well-being, assess labour and all other procedures necessary in obstetric management (Ruhl et al 2020). The Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses introduced OBT in 1986 to aid in obstetrical assessment and clinical decision-making (Moudi et al 2020). Obstetric triage is performed to gather subjective and objective clinical data from a pregnant woman following a nursing process approach to diagnose and manage obstetric conditions upon admission (Veit-Rubin et al 2017).…”