Patients today have more options than ever to receive care outside of their primary care – if they even have one. Having more options may seem like a good thing, however many times the consumer is confused about the best care to address their symptoms. In the process, they end up either over-utilizing services or underestimating serious medical symptoms, creating both a drain to the healthcare system as well as possible threat to their lives.

As temperatures heat up, we often think that patient phone calls decrease due to less cold and flu outbreaks. Yet, triage nurses are surprisingly busy during summer months helping avoid unnecessary ER visits. Many of the issues from patients can be resolved with detailed home care advise and a visit to their doctor. Triage nurses use standardized protocols from Dr. Schmitt and Dr. Thompson to evaluate symptoms to ensure appropriate care advice. This article covers a common patient complaint a triage nurse can get during

Telephone triage nurses play a critical role in suicide prevention. They serve as the first point of contact for callers in need of immediate assistance.  The more knowledgeable triage nurses are about treating patients with mental illnesses, the better they are prepared to intervene. According to the CDC, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide every day and the stigma associated with mental illnesses often prevents people from getting help. For every one person who dies from suicide every year, another 278 people think seriously about

Once a triage nurse has done an initial evaluation on a patient there are times when the protocol or circumstances require a physician to get involved. In these instances, it is critical for the nurse to get in touch with the provider on call for the practice to securely and effectively communicate the needs of the patient and requires relaying protected health information securely. Traditionally, the nurse will page the doctor back to their phone number. The physician calls back, and the nurse relays the

When a medical emergency happens, not everyone calls 911. In a surprising study of patient surveys and disposition outcomes from telephone triage case, as many as one third of adult callers underestimated the seriousness of their symptoms. Even when adults have a sense that their symptom may be serious, there is a stigma of calling for an ambulance. Fortunately, having a triage nurse available increases the chances that a patient will seek help from a professional. Patients often will call a triage nurse when they