I work at a facility that allows a tech to triage. They can do this because they found a loop hole by having a nurse "review" the note and sign behind them agreeing or disagreeing. I feel this is very wrong and could lead to (and has) poor quality care. I understand the need to find ways to move the large numbers of patients through the ED in an efficient way but not while sacrificing quality care. I refuse to sign behind anyone unless I saw the patient at the same time and can without a doubt say I agree with the tech's findings. I feel this is unfair to our techs because it puts them in a bad position, and it is also unfair to the nurses and patients. Thoughts?

Thanks for the reply....I wasn't sure if this was a new approach to getting patients through a busy ER everywhere or just someone's idea here. Either way, I feel it is a very bad idea all the way around.

Yes, and we have had slip ups many times and close calls. The nurses in our fast track area have caught many patients and sent them to the main side before anything bad happened. We even had a patient, with an extensive cardiac history, seated back in the lobby because he presented with epigastric pain. Turns out he had an elevated trope! We were so lucky he didn't die while waiting those 2 hours to get back to the treatment area.

Yeah, bad idea.  That setup is inviting sentinel events.  Most "techs" have limited training and don't have a fraction of the experience or education & training to pick up on the subtle red flags that we look for.  We work with paramedics in our triage area, but they are not responsible for primary assessment and categorization.  A good, experienced streetwise medic can pick up on these subtleties, but techs typically do not.

Has JC visited lately and been ok with this setup?

I am a tech in ER, and I would NEVER want to triage patients.  Only nurses should do that