Telephone triage: 5 years' experience

Area of Science:

• Emergency Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Triage

Background:

• Telephone triage is a contentious practice among emergency nurses in Victoria, Australia.
• Nurses hold opposing views on the appropriateness of telephone advice.
• Concerns exist regarding the time commitment and legal risks associated with call documentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the experience and policy of telephone triage.
• To analyze 5 years of documented telephone calls (January 1991 to January 1996).
• To evaluate the practice of telephone triage in emergency nursing.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of documented telephone calls.
• Review of emergency nursing policies on telephone triage.
• Data collection over a 5-year period (1991-1996).

Main Results:

• Analysis of documented telephone calls from January 1991 to January 1996.
• Insights into the practical application and challenges of telephone triage.
• Data supporting the evaluation of telephone triage effectiveness and risks.

Conclusions:

• Telephone triage presents ongoing challenges and debates within emergency nursing.
• Documentation of telephone triage calls is time-consuming and carries potential legal implications.
• Further analysis is needed to fully understand the impact and risks of telephone triage.