Remote clinical decision-making: a clinician's definition.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Ambulance Services
• Clinical Decision-Making

Background:

• Remote clinical decision-making (RCDM), or telephone triage, is vital in UK ambulance services to manage rising demand.
• Existing definitions of RCDM do not fully capture the roles within 999 hubs or its use as an ambulance quality indicator (AQI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and define how clinicians perceive and define RCDM.
• To inform the development of a new RCDM module in higher education.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three clinicians.
• Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Clinicians' definitions of RCDM emphasize process efficacy and outcome appropriateness.
• Focus is placed on the effectiveness of the decision-making process rather than solely on the final outcome.

Conclusions:

• There is a lack of precise role definition for healthcare professionals in 999 clinical hubs, necessitating improved clarity for staff and organizations.
• The current definition of 'hear and treat' may be inadequate as an AQI due to its failure to encompass the full scope of 999 clinical hub professional duties.
• Further research is required to comprehensively define RCDM in its various applications.