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call triaging

Assessing Call Demand and Utilization of a Secondary Triage Emergency Communication Nurse System for Low Acuity Calls Transferred from an Emergency Dispatch System

Mark Conrad Fivaz, MD, Greg Scott, MBA, EMD-QI, Jeff J. Clawson, MD, Corike Toxopeus, PhD, Matt Zavadsky, MS, Kristen Miller, JD, Neal Richmond, MD, FACEP, Christopher Olola, PhD

Aug 01, 2015|AEDR 2015 Vol. 3 Issue 2|Original Research

Telephone nurse triage at the 9-1-1 dispatch point is relatively new in the United States despite its ability to significantly reduce expensive and scarce Emergency Medical Services (EMS) resource use and emergency department visits. A previous study investigated the distribution of 9-1-1-triaged call incident types within the Emergency Communications Nurse System (ECNS) and found that 9-1-1 triage systems yielded a variety of low acuity complaints that were handled by the Emergency Communications Nurse (ECN). This study explored the current and potential utilization...

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The Distribution of Recommended Care Level Classification by Time of Day within the Emergency Communication Nurse System

Mark Conrad Fivaz, MD, Greg Scott, MBA, EMD-QI, Jeff J. Clawson, MD, Corike Toxopeus, PhD, Matt Zavadsky, MS, Kristen Miller, JD, Neal Richmond, MD, FACEP, Christopher Olola, PhD

Aug 01, 2015|AEDR 2015 Vol. 3 Issue 2|Original Research

Research has shown that two-thirds of emergency visits occur after business hours (weekdays 9am – 5pm). Therefore, identifying primary healthcare providers available after business hours is one strategy for improving appropriate access to healthcare services. Previous studies have also shown a high and steady volume of secondary triage-eligible calls throughout the day and into the evening. However, because the Emergency Communication Nurse (ECN) performing the secondary triage has some discretion on selecting the Recommended Care Level (RCL) based on resource...

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