Telephone Triage Rules of Thumb

Posted by Sheila Wheeler on Dec 23, 2016 in Articles of Interest, Current | 0 comments Clinical Decision Making in Telephone Triage Experts (including clinicians) frequently use Rules of Thumb to make decisions.  These are rules that are generally correct but not scientifically proven.  Rules of Thumb can be useful in telephone triage, when estimating urgency quickly is more important than determining a diagnosis.  Here are several Rules of Thumb below from the Preceptor Workbook,...
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Telephone Triage Task Delegation & Misrepresentation: Risk Management

Posted by Sheila Wheeler on Aug 16, 2016 in Articles of Interest, Current | 0 comments Delegating Tasks to Unqualified Staff I am often asked about a recommended “list of key symptoms for clerical staff to use to pre-triage patients”. I do not have such a list, nor do I recommend this risky policy. If your facility implements such a task delegation policy, I recommend that nurses meet with the hospital counsel in regard to this matter, as well as getting the policy in writing....
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What is a Telephone Triage Nurse? Current Role and Skills

Posted by Sheila Wheeler on Jul 22, 2014 in Articles of Interest, Current, FAQ Telephone Triage, FAQ Teletriage Systems | 0 comments Telephone triage nurse: current role and skills from Sheila Wheeler Share this...
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Are Telephone Triage Guidelines Safe & Reliable ?

Posted by Sheila Wheeler on Feb 14, 2014 in Articles of Interest, FAQ Telephone Triage, FAQ-Protocol | 1 comment How to Evaluate Telephone Triage Guidelines and Protocols It is safe to say that telephone triage guidelines are still in “early days”.  No independent, peer-reviewed, comparative study has found one guideline system to be safer than all others.  In fact,  errors and delays in care still plague telephone triage. According to the Institute of Medicine, error is defined as the...
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Are Telephone Triage Nurses Using Guidelines?

Posted by Sheila Wheeler on Feb 13, 2014 in Articles of Interest, Current, FAQ Telephone Triage, FAQ Teletriage Systems, FAQ-Protocol | 0 comments RECENT RESEARCH has found that Computerized Decision Support Systems (CDSS) do not perform effectively (or possibly safely)as decision support tools. Technical deficiencies included: not supportive of decision making, inconsistent documentation leading to mistriage, unintended self-care recommendations, information missing or outdated, questions subject to variable interpretation, clinical...
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Clinical Call Center of the Future:

Posted by Sheila Wheeler on Feb 13, 2014 in Articles of Interest, Current, FAQ Telephone Triage, FAQ Teletriage Systems | 2 comments In a recent article in Healthcare Call Center Times entitled “Thoughts from a Telephone Triage Pioneer”, Sheila Wheeler shared her vision of the future of telehealth.  She has developed a list of features for the clinical call center of the future.  Call centers are currently implementing many of these ideas, based on new research related to clinical telephone triage. New Title...
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