OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential impact for ambulance services of telephone assessment and triage for callers who present with non-serious problems (Category C calls) as classified by ambulance service call takers. DESIGN Pragmatic controlled trial. Calls identified using priority dispatch protocols as non-serious were allocated to intervention and control groups according to time of ca...

BACKGROUND With rising patient demand and expectations, many practices are struggling to respond to the demand for appointments. OBJECTIVE To investigate different approaches to improving access to general practice and assess the impact on (i) patient experience, (ii) practice staff experience and (iii) activity in A&E and walk-in centres. METHOD Greenwich CCG piloted three approaches in 12...

BACKGROUND Clinical decision support (CDS) has been shown to be effective in improving medical safety and quality but there is little information on how telephone triage benefits from CDS. The aim of our study was to compare triage documentation quality associated with the use of a clinical decision support tool, ExpertRN©. METHODS We examined 50 triage documents before and after a CDS tool w...

The role of primary care nurses has expanded in recent years, and many now work for urgent care service providers. With role expansion comes increased professional autonomy, but this, in turn, carries a greater risk of error and, consequently, a greater need for medicolegal protection. This article considers some of the risks associated with out-of-hours care delivery, particularly in relation ...

Abstract Due to the COVID19 pandemic, NHS reported a 60% drop in suspected cancer referrals and delay treatment initiation. In waiting time (WT) targets can prove difficult achieve. ENT UK England recommended senior-led telephone triage system be put place response pandemic. Aim of this audit was assess impact pandemic evaluate efficacy tele-consults on Head & Neck Cancer (H&N) Service ...

BACKGROUND Most febrile children contacting a GP cooperative are seen by a GP, although the incidence of serious illness is low. The guidelines for triage might not be suitable in primary care. AIM To investigate the determinants related to the outcome of triage in febrile children. DESIGN OF STUDY Cross-sectional study. SETTING Dutch GP cooperative. METHOD Receptionists filled out a tr...

introduction: triage is a response to the problem of overcrowding in emergency departments (eds) and accuracy of decisions made by the triage unit affects the ultimate outcome of eds. this study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge of triage among last year medical students in shiraz university of medical sciences. methods: this is a cross-sectional analytical study whose subjects were all t...