Triage Service Research Articles

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Pilot to scale: Implementing a digital triage solution across a large comprehensive cancer centre.

225 Background: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) sees over 80,000 patients annually and primarily operates using an outpatient model. Historically patients use a phone/voicemail triage service to communicate with their care team between scheduled visits. Many patient queries lack critical information necessary for effective screening, assessment, and processing. In turn leading to delays or missed calls that negatively impact patient experience, system efficiency, and safety. To address these challenges, we piloted a digital triage service and subsequently implemented in sixteen clinics. This project evaluated initial adoption, usage, care patterns and satisfaction in the first 5 months post-implementation. Methods: We used human-centred service design to develop the digital triage service within the EMR (Epic). Implementation strategies to scale across all outpatient clinics included leadership buy-in, co-design with key stakeholders, a phased implementation approach, and improvement cycles. To evaluate initial adoption, usage and care patterns, we used EMR system data. To assess patient satisfaction, we surveyed patients who used the service during the first three months. We conducted semi-structured interviews with staff to understand their experience integrating digital triage into their workflow. Results: Following the go-live period, patients sent an average of 1096 digital requests per month, representing 16% of all triage requests (phone + digital). The most common requests were symptom management (36% of nursing requests) and appointment change requests (40% of administrative requests). The algorithm automatically routed 93% of requests to the most appropriate care team member, compared to 74% pre-implementation. When asked if they were satisfied with their experience, most patients agreed or were neutral (69% and 10%, respectively), while 21% disagreed. In semi-structured interviews, nurses and administrative staff described improved efficiency by having triage requests integrated within the EMR, while have challenges related to prioritizing requests across multiple channels (e.g. digital, phone, others). Conclusions: Digital triage is foundational for better cataloguing and understanding our patients' unmet needs at home and between visits, enabling a continuous learning process to understand when and why people struggle throughout their care journey. Ongoing analyses will explore disease site-specific trends, compare phone to digital triage, and identify differences between users of each method. The data will inform further improvement cycles on the build and workflows, while enabling appropriate resourcing of this critical service and shifts towards proactive care.

134 Emergency Department Admitting Service Triage Using Retrieval-Augmented Language Models

134 Emergency Department Admitting Service Triage Using Retrieval-Augmented Language Models

Investigation of Causes of Emergency Service Admission and Triage of the Newborn

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the reasons for the emergency admission of the newborn. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on the records of newborns aged 0-28 days (n=4212) admitted to the pediatric emergency department of a public hospital between 01.01.2020-31.12.2022. The analyses were performed using the SPSS 26.0 program. Descriptive data were presented as numbers, percentages, and mean, and categorical data were evaluated using the chi-square test. Significance level p

Use of emergency departments by children and young people following telephone triage: a large database study

BackgroundAlthough one objective of NHS 111 is to ease the strain on urgent and emergency care services, studies suggest the telephone triage service may be contributing to increased demand. Moreover,...

Unbiased care, unequal outcomes: a nursing telehealth intervention reveals systematic inequities in COVID-19 care delivery

BackgroundThe Covid Connected Care Center (C4), a low-barrier telephone nurse hotline, was developed at an academic medical center to increase access to healthcare information and services across the state of Oregon, including to those without a usual source of care. Other studies have demonstrated that telephone triage services can positively influence health behaviors, but it is not known how this effect is maintained across racial/ethnic groups. The objective of this study was to show that the C4 reached throughout the state of Oregon, was valuable to callers, and that recommendations given affected callers’ subsequent health-related behaviors.MethodsThis mixed-methods study, informed by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Addoption, Implementation and Maintenance) framework, assessed caller demographics and clinical care from March 30 2020 until September 8, 2021. Descriptive statistics, multivariable risk models and Zou’s modified Poisson modeling were applied to electronic health record and call system data; An inductive approach was used for patient and staff experience surveys and semi-structured interviews. Approval was obtained from the OHSU Institutional Review Board (Study 00021413).Results145,537 telephone calls and 92,100 text-based contacts (61% and 39%, respectively) were included. Callers tended to not have a usual source of primary care and utilized recommended services. Emergency department utilization was minimal (1.5%). Racial or ethnic disparities were not detected in the recommendations, but Black (RR 0.92, CI 0.86–0.98) and Multiracial (RR 0.90 CI 0.81–0.99) callers were less likely than non-Hispanic white callers to receive a COVID-19 test. Participants in the post-call survey (n = 50) would recommend this service to friends or family. Interviews with callers (n = 9) revealed this was because they valued assistance translating general recommendations into a personalized care plan. C4 staff interviewed (n = 9) valued the opportunity to serve the public. The C4 was a trusted resource to the public and reached the intended audiences. However, disparities in access to COVID-19 testing persisted.ConclusionsNursing triage hotlines can guide caller behavior and be an effective part of a robust public health information infrastructure.

Building a performance measurement framework for telephone triage services in Finland: a consensus-making study based on nominal group technique

BackgroundThere has been a significant expansion in the measurement of healthcare system performance. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive performance measurement framework to assess the effects of telephone triage services on the urgent care system. The aim of our Delphi study was to construct and validate a performance measurement framework designed explicitly for telephone triage services.MethodsThis study was conducted in Finland with a group of eight experienced senior physicians from the country's 20 largest joint emergency departments, serving over 90% of the population for urgent care. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was utilised to achieve consensus on measuring telephone triage performance. Initially, performance indicators (PIs) were identified through Delphi method rounds from December 10th to December 27th, 2021, with eight experts participating, and from December 29th, 2021, to January 23rd, 2022, where five of these experts responded. NGT further deepened these themes and perspectives, aiding in the development of a comprehensive performance measurement framework. The final framework validation began with an initial round from February 13th to March 3rd, 2022, receiving five responses. Due to the limited number of responses, an additional validation round was conducted from October 29th to November 7th, 2023, resulting in two more responses, increasing the total number of respondents in the validation phase to seven.ResultsThe study identified a strong desire among professionals to implement a uniform framework for measuring telephone triage performance. The finalised framework evaluates telephone triage across five dimensions: service accessibility, patient experience, quality and safety, process outcome, and cost per case. Eight specific PIs were established, including call response metrics, service utility, follow-up care type and distribution, ICPC-2 classified encounter reasons, patient compliance with follow-up care, medical history review during assessment, and service cost per call.ConclusionsThis study validated a performance measurement framework for telephone triage services, utilising existing literature and the NGT method. The framework includes five key dimensions: patient experience, quality and safety, outcome of the telephone triage process, cost per case, and eight PIs. It offers a structured and comprehensive approach to measuring the overall performance of telephone triage services, enhancing our ability to evaluate these services effectively.

Informing low back pain care from the ground up: Survey of national musculoskeletal triage physiotherapists in Ireland

BackgroundHealthcare is changing to meet the challenge of a rising musculoskeletal burden associated with the expanding, aging population. Clinicians, important stakeholders in healthcare provision, have crucial insights into service improvement, but clinician consultation is a shortcoming in healthcare development. In Ireland, specialist physiotherapist-led musculoskeletal (MSK) triage services operate at the primary-secondary care interface to expedite patient care. ObjectivesTo inform future development of low back pain (LBP) care in Ireland through profiling the operationalisation of the national MSK triage service for LBP, including access, referral management, clinical investigations, onward referral options, access to multidisciplinary team (MDT) services and integration with primary healthcare services. DesignCross-sectional observational study using a bespoke, anonymous electronic survey. ParticipantsThirty-eight clinical specialist physiotherapists working in national programme Irish MSK triage services. ResultsThirty-eight MSK Triage physiotherapists submitted responses (response rate 72%). There was considerable site-dependent variation in LBP service provision, with discrepancies in access to triage services, wait times, referral processing and prioritisation, access to clinical investigations and onward referral options. Most respondents (81%) reported wait times exceeding the three-month target; 75% reported that the level of clinical autonomy associated with their role limited service efficiency; 75% were dissatisfied with primary-secondary care service integration. Respondents identified insufficient availability of primary care multidisciplinary services. ConclusionLack of standardisation of LBP services exists in Ireland. Services would benefit from improved standardisation, reduced wait times, national accreditation and a defined scope of advanced physiotherapy practice and the development of nationwide community multidisciplinary infrastructure with enhanced interservice communication.

Symptoms reported by patients using an ePRO compared with those reported to nurses via telephone triage.

1542 Background: It is unclear how symptoms reported by an electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) tool compare to symptoms reported to triage nurses by patient-initiated telephone calls. This work describes symptoms reported using each of these methods, and the percent of patients requiring an acute office visit triggered by these symptom reports. Methods: Among patients diagnosed with breast, lung, or colon cancer at three community oncology practices from 2020 to 2023, we examined ePRO symptom reports and compared these with symptoms reported via telephone triage to nurses by patients not using the ePRO tool. Results: 3,509 patients reported symptoms by ePROs, and 9,071 patients only reported by phone. Among patients reporting by ePRO, 2,162 submitted both ePROs and used telephone triage services. The most common symptoms that patients reported by ePRO reports (47,284 reports) were weakness / fatigue (72.9% of patients), pain (62.0%), nausea (39.2%), and headache (33.1%). The most common symptoms that patients reported by phone reports (19,344 reports) were pain (32.9%), weakness / fatigue (13.4%), swelling (11.1%), cough (10.3%), and diarrhea (9.4%). The median number of reports in the ePRO group was 6.0 (mean 13.5, IQR: 2.0, 15.0) per patient and the median number of reports in the phone triage group was 1.0 (mean 2.1, IQR: 1.0, 2.0) per patient. The most common high-urgency symptoms in the ePRO group (defined by practice defined symptom threshold) were weakness / fatigue (67.2% of patients), pain (55.7%), headache (40.2%), nausea (32.0%), and difficulty breathing (29.2%), while the most common high-urgency symptoms (as determined by the triage nurse) in the phone triage group were pain (32.4%), weakness / fatigue (11.8%), swelling (11.4%), fever/chills (10.1%), and cough (9.7%). More patients reported high-urgency symptoms by ePRO (n = 1,873, 53.4%) compared to those reported by phone triage (n = 2,448, 27.0%). Of patients in the ePRO group with a severe symptom who visited a site with acute care visits data, 330 patients (45.4%) had an acute care visit within 72 hours of a symptom report compared to 745 patients (47.5%) in the telephone triage group. Conclusions: Patients using ePROs reported more symptoms than patients reporting by phone, possibly because electronic reporting allows patients to easily communicate symptoms to care providers and receive prompt attention. Pain and weakness/fatigue were the most common urgent symptoms in both groups. The need for an acute care visit was the same in both groups. Further refinement of the ePRO tool including standardization of symptom thresholds, more uniform implementation in practices, and patient education with respect to optimal use of the ePRO may enable practices to replace telephone triage with ePROs.

CSP2023: 131 - Identifying Suspected Bony Injury using the Ottawa Ankle Rules and diagnostic imaging correlation for an independent physiotherapy telephone triage service

CSP2023: 131 - Identifying Suspected Bony Injury using the Ottawa Ankle Rules and diagnostic imaging correlation for an independent physiotherapy telephone triage service

CSP2023: 455 - Establishment and evaluation of a referral triage service within the role of a first contact physiotherapist

CSP2023: 455 - Establishment and evaluation of a referral triage service within the role of a first contact physiotherapist

A Bibliometric Analysis of Telephone Triage Research to 2021 Using VOSviewer.

Telephone triage services are becoming increasingly commonplace in modern healthcare. Despite this widespread adoption, health researchers and practitioners seeking to understand evidence-based best practice face several challenges. Firstly, the few systematic reviews available yield small sample sizes, suggesting a small amount of research. Secondly, the rapid pace of development of telephone triage technologies means that there may be temporal validity issues with the available research, given some of this research is relatively old. Thirdly, researchers use different terminologies to describe telephone triage, meaning evidence may be more difficult to find than if consistent terminology was used. This bibliometric analysis therefore is aimed at providing a macroscopic overview of telephone triage, to understand the scale and scope of the available evidence (i.e., where, when, and by whom research is conducted), for interested researchers and practitioners. Additionally, it is aimed at quantifying the prevalence of terms used to describe telephone triage, to recommend consistent terminology for future use, and to improve accessibility of research. To address these aims, literature searches using three different key terms: "telephone triage," "remote triage," and "teletriage" were conducted in Scopus and PubMed. Corresponding bibliometric data was visualised and analysed using VOSviewer. This bibliometric review identified 784 papers since the term "telephone triage" first appears in 1980, confirming a paucity of literature in the field. An overview of telephone triage research up to 2021 is provided, which should serve as a useful foundation for future research and application of evidence-based practice. Gaps in telephone triage research are identified, and the use of consistent terminology is encouraged, with the aim of supporting telephone triage researchers in determining research priorities and improving the impact of future studies.

Predicting Hospitalization Risk Among Home Care Residents in the United Kingdom: Development and Validation of a Machine Learning-Based Predictive Model

Preventable hospital admissions in elderly home care residents are a major socioeconomic burden, whilst early detection of deterioration may improve outcomes. Our goal was to develop and validate a machine learning-based algorithm to predict hospitalization risk among home care users. Our primary outcome was hospitalization. An existing risk score (1-5) was assessed for its discriminatory capacity over time. We subsequently developed a new machine learning model using carer concerns, service user demographics, and other home care data between January and July 2021. We randomly selected 150 service user records for validation, which were evaluated by both the model and 10 clinicians (9 doctors and 1 nurse) to compare prediction time and accuracy to human experts. Comparison between model and human was via area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). A score of 5 conferred an 8x higher likelihood of hospitalization in the subsequent 7 days (15.4% vs 1.8%, p < .05), compared to a score of 1. The new model and risk score increased performance, detecting 182 hospitalizations/month (3.7x chance). The AUC for the model was significantly higher than for clinicians (0.87 vs 0.41-0.57, respectively; p < .05). The model took <1 minute, while clinicians typically took over 40 minutes. A risk prediction model using carer concerns and other home care data features detects 3.7x more hospitalizations than chance. The model is faster and more accurate than human clinicians, enabling low-cost scale-up. This study supports linking the model to a triage and intervention service to reduce preventable hospitalizations in the home care sector.

Accuracy of telephone triage for predicting adverse outcomes in suspected COVID-19: an observational cohort study

ObjectiveTo assess accuracy of telephone triage in identifying need for emergency care among those with suspected COVID-19 infection and identify factors which affect triage accuracy.DesignObservational cohort study.SettingCommunity telephone triage provided...

Differences Between Discovery Learning And Case-Based Learning Using Animated Videos On Critical Thinking Skills In Start Triage Among Undergraduate Nursing Students

The 2004 disaster in Aceh underscores the need to strengthen disaster triage preparedness. Triage would be more accurate when considering human resource factors. Students are educated nurse candidates who will serve the community through their ability to think critically. Innovative learning opens opportunities to sharpen critical thinking in students' preparedness for emergency disaster situations. This study analyzes the differences between discovery learning and case-based learning on critical thinking in START Triage among undergraduate nursing students. This quasi-experimental study used a pre-test and post-test design involving 40 undergraduate nursing students selected through purposive sampling and divided into two groups: control and intervention. Data collection utilized the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory questionnaire. The results of the Paired T-test revealed differences in critical thinking ability in START Triage before and after receiving discovery learning and case-based learning. Furthermore, the independent T-test results indicated a significant influence of case-based and discovery learning on critical thinking ability in START Triage. Case-based learning utilizing animated videos significantly impacted nursing students' critical thinking ability in START Triage. Using animated videos as a basis for case-based learning provides a foundation for educational institutions to integrate into learning activities and disaster simulation exercises to enhance the quality of Triage services.

A unique model of care for youth in crisis: A pilot open trial.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those ages 10-24 years in the United States, and emergency department (ED) visits due to youth self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) and increased substantially between 2016 and 2021. Although ED services are essential for an effective system of care, the ED setting is typically not well-suited for the comprehensive, collaborative, and therapeutic evaluation of SITB; treatment planning; and care coordination that youth in a suicidal crisis need. As a result, an urgent care model for mental health designed to provide comprehensive crisis triage and intervention services is needed within outpatient psychiatry. This pilot trial examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary clinical outcomes of a brief, urgent care model, the Behavioral Health Crisis Care Clinic (CCC), designed to provide comprehensive outpatient triage and intervention services aimed at reducing suicide risk for youth in crisis. Participants were 189 youth (ages 10-20; 62.4% females; 58% Caucasian) who had past-week suicidal ideation or behavior and their caregivers. The results demonstrated the CCC model exceeded feasibility and acceptability benchmarks based on the Service Satisfaction Scale (M score > 3.00). CCC care was associated with significant decreases in self-reported suicide risk based on the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality Suicide Status Form with low levels of ED usage during CCC care (7.7%) and 1-month posttreatment (11.8%). Over 88% of patients without established outpatient care at the time of referral were connected to care during CCC treatment, almost all of whom (95%) continued with ongoing mental health care 1 month after ending CCC care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

E017 An early inflammatory arthritis questionnaire to enable enhanced triage and a scoping exercise to assess clinical utility

Abstract Background/Aims The quality of early inflammatory arthritis (EIA) referrals from primary care can vary even with a standardised referral form leading to large numbers of non-EIA patients being seen. Poor utilisation of EIA slots places pressure on an EIA service’s ability to see suspected EIA patients within 3 weeks of referral. To overcome this challenge, a questionnaire was devised to enable enhanced EIA triage and a scoping exercise was carried out to assess clinical utility. Methods 50 patients attending the EIA clinic completed the questionnaire (Table 1) either self-administered or via telephone prior to their appointment. Early Inflammatory Arthritis Screening Questionnaire (Table 1) Positive answers were scored 1 with a maximum score of 11. Following their appointment, the patient diagnosis was collected from patient records. Results Of the 50 patients, 14 (28%) had a confirmed EIA diagnosis and the other 36 (72%) patients had a range of alternative diagnoses. In the confirmed EIA group, the scores ranged from 5-8/11 with an average mean score of 7.0 and median of 7. Further analysis showed patients with a score over 5/11 including symptom duration of 12 months and under (Q1) identified all the confirmed EIA patients. Applying the above criteria to our 50 study patients resulted in 27/50 patients qualifying for an EIA appointment slot and 14/27 (52%) would have been confirmed with EIA. After applying these cut off criteria the sensitivity of the questionnaire was 100% and the specificity was 64%. The non-EIA group scores ranged from 0 - 8/11 with an average mean score of 4.9 and median score of 5. Conclusion In our service triage of EIA referrals on a standardised form resulted in poor utilisation of EIA slots. Triage using the questionnaire improved the EIA slot allocation and increased EIA conversion rate from 28% to 50%. This questionnaire appears to be a promising tool to improve utilisation of EIA appointments. Telephone assessment could be delivered by any member of the multidisciplinary team. Disclosure J. Burton: None. R. Sathananthan: None. S. Levy: None. N. Horwood: None. T. Ahmed: None. R. Suresh: None.

The design of an Obstetric Telephone Triage Guideline (OTTG): a mixed method study

BackgroundClarifying the dimensions and characteristics of obstetric telephone triage is important in improving the quality of services in the health system because researchers can evaluate the effectiveness of treatment, care and diagnostic measures in the form of obstetric telephone triage by developing a guideline. Therefore, this study aimed to design an Obstetric Telephone Triage Guideline (OTTG) using a mixed-method study.MethodsThe present study was carried out using an exploratory sequential mixed method study in two qualitative and quantitative phases. An inductive-deductive approach was also used to determine the concept of obstetric telephone triage. In this respect, a qualitative study and a literature review were used in the inductive and deductive stages, respectively. Moreover, the validity of the developed guideline was confirmed based on experts’ opinions and results of the AGREE II tool.ResultsThe guideline included the items for evaluating the severity of obstetric symptoms at five levels including “critical”, “urgent”, “less urgent”, “no urgent”, and “recommendations”. The validity of the guideline was approved at 96%, 95%, 97%, 95%, 93%, and 100% for six dimensions of AGREE II including scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, the rigor of development, clarity of presentation, applicability, and editorial independence, respectively.ConclusionThe OTTG is a clinically comprehensive, easy-to-use, practical, and valid tool. This guideline is a standardized tool for evaluating the severity of symptoms and determining the urgency for obstetrics triage services. By using this integrated and uniform guideline, personal biases can be avoided, leading to improved performance and ensuring that patients are not overlooked. Additionally, the use of OTTG promotes independent decision-making and reduces errors in triage decision-making.

Reducing wait times and medical costs for patients: the physiotherapy-led Spine Triage and Rehabilitation (STAR) Clinic

The Sengkang General Hospital Orthopaedic Spine Outpatient Service is facing a growing challenge of increasing number of referrals and waiting times, placing a significant burden on the system. Primary care...

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Suicide.ca, Quebec's Digital Suicide Prevention Strategy Platform: Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

In 2017, the Quebec government assigned the Association québécoise de prévention du suicide (AQPS) to develop a digital suicide prevention strategy (DSPS). The AQPS responded by creating a centralized website that provides information on suicide and mental health, identifies at-risk individuals on the internet, and offers direct crisis intervention support via chat and text. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of suicide.ca, Quebec's DSPS platform. This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. The study population comprised internet users from Quebec, Canada, who visited the suicide.ca platform between October 2020 and October 2021. Various data sources, such as Google Analytics, Firebase Console, and Customer Relation Management data, were analyzed to document the use of the platform. To understand the profile of suicide.ca users, frequency analyses were conducted using data from the self-assessment module questionnaires, the intervention service's triage questionnaire, and the counselors' intervention reports. The effectiveness of the platform's promotional activities on social media was assessed by examining traffic peaks. Google Analytics was used to evaluate the effectiveness of AQPS' strategy for identifying at-risk internet users. The impact of the intervention service was evaluated through an analysis of counselors' intervention reports and postintervention survey results. The platform received traffic from a diverse range of sources, with promotional efforts on social media directly contributing to the increased traffic. The requirement of a user account posed a barrier to the use of the mobile app, and a triage question that involved personal information led to a substantial number of dropouts during the intervention service triage. AdWords campaigns and fact sheets addressing suicide risk factors played a crucial role in driving traffic to the platform. With regard to the profile of suicide.ca users, the findings revealed that the platform engaged individuals with diverse levels of suicidal risk. Notably, users of the chat service displayed a higher suicide risk than those who used the self-assessment module. Crisis chat counselors reported a positive impact on approximately half of the contacts, and overall, intervention service users expressed satisfaction with the support they received. A centralized digital platform can be used to implement a DSPS, effectively reaching the general population, individuals with risk factors for suicide, and those facing suicidal issues.