Is it as simple as a telephone triage nurse to just answer the phone?

Telephone triage nurses, sometimes called telemedicine nurses or TTNs, assist patients via phone or video chat. Often helps patients decide if they need to seek emergency treatment, make an appointment with a doctor, or if they can treat themselves.

Telephone triage nurses are trained to ask patients very specific questions to accurately assess their cases and refer them to the appropriate healthcare professional; have online access to patients' health information files and related charts, empowering Their unique ability to assist patients remotely.

Telephone triage nurses are particularly useful for patients who must travel long distances to reach a medical facility and who must struggle to pay for medical services.doctor of nursing practice programme in asia They are also helping doctors reduce patient load by remotely coaching patients with minor health issues, thereby saving on the cost of trips to the doctor's office. This helps eliminate overcrowding and reduce long wait times in emergency medical facilities.

Most telephone triage care services are provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week, resulting in telephone triage nurses often working odd hours and night shifts.

Where do telephone triage nurses work?

Telephone triage nurses are able to find work in their subspecialty areas in many different settings.masters in nursing programme in asia The most common place where telephone triage nurses work is in a dedicated telephone triage service.

Other locations where telephone triage nurses may find employment within their subspecialty include: physician offices, hospitals, trauma centers, crisis hotlines, ambulatory care facilities, drug control centers…

What skills are required to become a telephone triage nurse?

As a telephone triage nurse, it is critical to have excellent communication skills and the ability to think on one's feet under pressure. Must be able to listen to patients, promptly assess their situation, and communicate the type of care they may need.

What does a telephone triage nurse do?

Telephone triage nurses are strictly responsible for answering patient calls, accurately assessing the patient's condition and responding accordingly.

Those who are unfamiliar with this job may be inclined to think that it is somewhat easier than traditional nursing care. This couldn't be further from the truth, as working as a telephone triage nurse can be extremely challenging. Unlike traditional nurses, telephone triage nurses cannot physically examine the patients they are speaking with. Regardless, they must make appropriate decisions based solely on conversations with patients—which can prove quite difficult. Where patients do not have a regular doctor, telephone triage nurses are required to refer them to the appropriate local doctor in their area.

How do telephone triage nurses assess and counsel patients?

The job of a telephone triage nurse is challenging. Nurses are trained to assess patients from the moment they see them.

Nurses, especially experienced ones, often operate on "gut feeling" - a feeling that something is not right. This presents challenges when conducting assessments over the phone. When a patient calls and speaks to the triage nurse, the nurse first asks what the primary complaint is. From there, he or she asks questions about the complaint while listening for clues the patient may have pointed to other health problems. For example, if a patient calls complaining of fatigue, a nurse may notice shortness of breath or a cough, which may indicate respiratory or heart problems. This assessment leads the nurse to more specific questioning.

Many organizations have triage protocols in place to ensure that important parts of the assessment are not missed. These protocols are developed and refined by clinical staff and regularly reviewed to ensure they are appropriate and follow current evidence-based practice.

Is it difficult for the telephone triage nurse to adequately assess the patient?

Telephone triage nurses or telemedicine nurses are nurses who assist and advise patients over the phone. They are extremely helpful in reducing the patient care burden on physicians while helping patients avoid potentially costly visits. What's more, they can decide which service suits their needs.

Although telephone triage nurses have access to electronic medical records, the difficulty lies in the inability to visualize the patient. Nurses are trained to assess patients from the moment they see them. Much of the nurse's assessment comes from nonverbal cues. For example, a patient may say that he has been feeling tired and dizzy lately. The nurse can check for spots or cyanosis and conclude that a respiratory or heart problem may be present. This can be challenging on the phone. The nurse may ask questions, but the patient may not know what to look for.

Many organizations have developed protocols for telephone triage nurses, which will help collect relevant data and determine which services are best for them—such as home care advice, a doctor's visit, or a trip to the emergency room.

While protocols are helpful, nothing compares to a nurse's keen assessment skills and clinical experience. Telephone triage nurses learn to hone listening skills and pick up on other cues and incorporate them into their assessments. For example, assume a patient presents with the aforementioned complaints of fatigue and dizziness. The nurse will listen for shortness of breath, difficulty completing sentences, slurred speech, and changes in mental status while asking pertinent questions. The patient may answer all questions that may require home care recommendations, but the nurse's clinical judgment can override the recommendation for an emergency department visit.

Telephone triage can be challenging, but strong nurse critical thinking and decision-making skills can overcome the challenge of not being able to see the patient directly.