Health care is constantly evolving. We’re not simply talking about new discoveries and medical procedures; we’re also referring to providing better care advice for patients who are trying to understand their symptoms. That’s why it’s critical that organizations like Schmitt-Thompson and TriageLogic continually update their information and upgrade their services. When providers have access to evidence-based solutions, they can better educate patients, improve engagement, and get them timely medical care that meets their needs. Below are some examples from this process.
Schmitt-Thompson Updates Protocols and Releases Adult Care Advice Topics
Barton Schmitt, MD, FAAP, and David Thompson, MD, FACEP, have long been known for developing nurse triage protocols, which are the gold standard for evaluating patient symptoms over the phone. Schmitt-Thompson protocols are typically updated annually and after major medical events, but may also be revised following recommendations from certified medical professionals.
By way of illustration, Schmitt-Thompson recently added Adult Care Advice Topics (ACATs) to their catalog, which are essentially handouts “to reinforce health information and care advice” — specifically, to complement their Adult Clinical Content Triage Guidelines for After-Hours and Office-Hours.
These adult care instructions will soon be available through TriageLogic’s nurse triage software.
TriageLogic Improves Medical Message Intake
Most medical practices don’t have their doctors and nurses screen incoming patient calls. That responsibility usually falls on nonclinical operators like front desk receptionists or support staff in call centers. These roles are vital to patient engagement because they offer human interactions and empathy, but staff lack the medical knowledge to identify when patient symptoms may indicate severe concerns. As a result, the messages those operators relay may not provide sufficient key information which can delay nurse triage callbacks and lead to poor health outcomes.
MedMessage Assist (MMA) is a real-time, symptom analysis tool designed to bridge this communication gap. It reviews the text that operators type while they’re talking with patients over the phone, and notifies operators when symptoms need to be clarified for appropriate triaging. We’ve already seen how this platform has achieved over 99 percent accuracy in the messages from nonclinical operators.
With MMA, nurses are able to effectively understand medical messages and respond to patients, leading to better care outcomes.
TriageLogic Improves Training Options for Triage Nurses
Once we saw how augmented intelligence could improve medical message intake with MMA, we recognized its potential applications for training triage nurses. While those nurses have already completed the education required of any RN, they still benefit from instruction on how to assist patients virtually.
Because of this, TriageLogic has developed intuitive training modules that allow nurses to engage with simulated patients in a variety of scenarios to practice the critical steps required of every triage call. These modules supplement the reading components of our training and give nurses more opportunities to hone their skills.
With this training program, nurses learn just how difficult certain calls can be, either due to patient behavior, background noise, incomprehensible speech, or other issues they will typically face. Intuitive training modules prepare them for how to respond to any kind of patient situation before they ever take a live call.
When nurse triage phone etiquette becomes second nature, offering care advice for patients is much easier — whether it’s advising home care, a follow-up with a patient’s primary doctor, or an emergency room visit.
Are you looking for nurse triage training options? We offer free materials in our learning center that can be used as introductory guidance for new triage nurses, or as refresher training for established ones. We also have a nurse certification course available for a nominal fee.
Your Practice’s Care Advice for Patients
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Contact us today to discuss tools and tips that will upgrade your practice and boost your patient health outcomes.
About TriageLogic
TriageLogic is a URAC-accredited, physician-led provider of top-quality nurse telehealth technology, remote patient monitoring, and medical call center solutions. Founded in 2007, the TriageLogic Group now serves more than 22,000 physicians and covers over 42 million lives nationwide.
