Nursing Congress Australia: Avail Speaker slot
What Is a Telephone Triage Nurse?
Telephone triage nurses, sometimes known as telehealth nurses or TTNs, assist patients over the phone or via video chat. TTNs often help patients decide whether 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 highly specific questions to accurately assess their case and refer them to an appropriate health care professional. Telephone triage nurses have the ability to access patients' health information profiles and pertinent charts online, giving them the unique ability to assist their patients remotely. TTNs are especially useful for patients who must travel long distances to reach a medical facility and for those who must struggle to pay for medical services. They also assist doctors in reducing their patient load by remotely guiding patients with minor health problems to save an often-expensive visit to the physician's office. This helps to eliminate overcrowding and reduce long wait times in emergency medical facilities. Most telephone triage nursing services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, resulting in TTNs working odd hours and night shifts.
