The Real Effect of Nurse Triage Lines
Real, positive effects of telephonic nurse triage (teletriage) lines on patient outcomes are being felt in hospitals and health systems across the country. Triage is the process of assessing and prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition. In teletriage, this is done by taking into account the caller's symptoms and history , such as heart disease or diabetes. This sounds great, but how does it affect overall patient outcome?
Most emergency department (ED) visits are non-urgent or unnecessary. For example, it is estimated that 60%-80% of pediatric emergency department visits are non-emergencies¹. Many patients who call a pediatric ED hotline are able to be helped at home with over-the-phone instructions. By using a teletriage service, we can prevent these unnecessary ED visits. Not only does the patient end up being seen by an appropriate professional more quickly, the emergency department conserves valuable time and resources. Pediatrics journal estimates that for every dollar spent on call centers, four dollars of medical care are saved².
With less in-person visits, providers can operate more effectively. In a number of studies on nursing care coverage, the increasing number of patients per nurse severely impacted mortality rates amongst their patients³. This is called the nurse-to-patient ratio, and it exists in every single healthcare setting. When a teletriage service can be used to lower the number of patients coming in, nurses are able to focus on those who need their attention the most. Non-critical patients can be directed to primary care, urgent care, or even home care.
Not only are there cost incentives for providing teletriage services, it has a tangible effect on patient outcomes. Nurses and doctors can focus their attention on the most critical care while still delivering appropriate care. Increasingly, teletriage care is being required by insurance and government programs, so it is reassuring to see that it defers costs to practices as well. What are your thoughts? Are there any impacts this has had on your company? Let us know below!
Sources:
¹http://www.cleartriage.com/wp-content/uploads/Decreasing-ER-Utilization-with-Nurse-Telephone-Triage.pdf
²Pediatrics 2007 Feb; 119(2):e305-313
³https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563988/#:~:text=They%20found%20that%20each%20additional,had%20significantly%20lower%20mortality%20rates
