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A triage system in the emergency department is necessary to prioritize and allocate scarce health resources to the medical needs of the patients to facilitate quality health service delivery. This paper aimed to ascertain if the triage system is welcomed in the tertiary hospital of Limpopo Province by exploring patients’ perceptions in the emergency department in South Africa. A qualitative research approach was used in this study with descriptive, explorative, and contextual research design to reach the research objective. Purposive sampling was used to select the patients who participated in semi-structured one-on-one interviews, which lasted between 30 and 45 min. The sample size was determined by data saturation after 14 participants were interviewed. A narrative qualitative analysis method was used to interpret and categorize the patients’ perceptions into seven domains of Benner’s theory. The six relevant domains illustrated mixed patients‘ perceptions regarding the triage system in the emergency departments. The domain-helping role of the triage system was overweighed by the dissatisfaction of the needy patients who waited for an extended period to receive emergency services. We conclude that the triage system at the selected tertiary hospital is not welcomed due to its disorganization and patient-related factors in the emergency departments. The findings of this paper are a point of reference for reinforcing the triage practice and improved quality service delivery by the emergency department healthcare professionals and the department of health policymakers. Furthermore, the authors propose that the seven domains of Benner’s theory can serve as a foundation for research and improving triage practice within emergency departments. Full article

Nurses and health care professionals should have an active role in meeting the spiritual needs of patients in collaboration with the family and the chaplain. Literature criticizes the impaired holistic care because the spiritual dimension is often overlooked by health care professionals. This could be due to feelings of incompetence due to lack of education on spiritual care; lack of inter-professional education (IPE); work overload; lack of time; different cultures; lack of attention to personal spirituality; ethical issues and unwillingness to deliver spiritual care. Literature defines spiritual care as recognizing, respecting, and meeting patients’ spiritual needs; facilitating participation in religious rituals; communicating through listening and talking with clients; being with the patient by caring, supporting, and showing empathy; promoting a sense of well-being by helping them to find meaning and purpose in their illness and overall life; and referring them to other professionals, including the chaplain/pastor. This paper outlines the systematic mode of intra-professional theoretical education on spiritual care and its integration into their clinical practice; supported by role modeling. Examples will be given from the author’s creative and innovative ways of teaching spiritual care to undergraduate and post-graduate students. The essence of spiritual care is being in doing whereby personal spirituality and therapeutic use of self contribute towards effective holistic care. While taking into consideration the factors that may inhibit and enhance the delivery of spiritual care, recommendations are proposed to the education, clinical, and management sectors for further research and personal spirituality to ameliorate patient holistic care. Full article