A computer-based approach to quality improvement for telephone triage in a community AIDS clinic

Observation of the current procedure for telephone triage in a community-based acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) clinic and a retrospective chart audit identified opportunities for improvement in the process for the management of telephone triage encounters. Specifically, it pointed out that the nurses faced difficulties in accessing relevant clinical data, and that a large number of data were missing in the documentation for the encounter. Five design goals for a computer-based system to improve the management of the telephone triage encounter were generated by an interdisciplinary project team. A computer-based approach to management of the telephone triage encounter complemented by the development of performance standards and guidelines has the potential to improve both the process of telephone triage and the documentation of the triage encounter.