<![CDATA[The Emergency Department (ED) is the primary entry point for patients requiring urgent medical attention, and the triage system used to classify patients by severity often becomes a source of confusion for waiting families. When families do not understand why patients are treated in a particular order rather than by arrival time, feelings of worry and distress tend to increase. This study aimed to determine the relationship between family understanding of the triage system and the level of anxiety experienced by patients' families in the Emergency Department of RSUD Dr. Moewardi Surakarta. This research applied a quantitative observational-analytic design with a cross sectional approach. Ninety respondents were recruited through purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria. Data were collected using a validated triage-understanding questionnaire and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), then analyzed using the Spearman Rank correlation test. The results showed that most respondents had insufficient understanding of the triage system (62.2%) and experienced severe anxiety (42.2%). The correlation test produced a p-value of <0.001 (p<0.05) with a correlation coefficient of 0.504, indicating a moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship: the lower the family's understanding of triage, the higher their anxiety level, and vice versa. These findings suggest that structured therapeutic communication and triage education for waiting families could be an effective strategy to reduce anxiety in the emergency setting.]]>
