Impact of a telephone triage service for non-critical emergencies in Switzerland: a cross-sectional study
Switzerland, 2018
Chloé Thierrin, Aurélie Augsburger, Fabrice Dami, Christophe Monney, Philippe Staeger, Carole Clair
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February 16, 2021
Last modified
February 16, 2021
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Identification
Survey ID Number
10.16909-DATASET-25
Title
Impact of a telephone triage service for non-critical emergencies in Switzerland: a cross-sectional study
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | CHE |
Abstract
Introduction: Telephone triage services (TTS) play an increasing role in the delivery of healthcare. The objective of this study was to characterize the users of a TTS for non-critical emergencies, describe the types of advice given and their subsequent observation, and assess the influence of TTS on the use of the healthcare system in a sanitary region of Switzerland.
Methods: Data from a TTS based in the French part of Switzerland were analyzed. This service consists of a medical contact center for non-critical emergencies, with trained nurses available 24/7. A random selection of 2,034 adult calls was performed between July and December 2018. Research students contacted users 2 to 4 weeks after the initial call and assessed sociodemographic and clinical data, as well as the impact of the advice received on the use of the healthcare system.
Results: A sample of 412 (22.2%) users was included in the analyses. The average age was 49.0 (SD 20.4) years; 68.5% were women and 72.8% of Swiss origin. The two main recommendations provided by nurses were to consult the emergency department (ED) (44.6%, n=184) and to contact a physician on duty (33.2%, n=137). The majority of users followed the advice given by the nurses (substantial agreement [k=0.79] with consulting the ED and perfect agreement [k=0.87] with contacting a physician on duty). We calculated that calling the TTS could decrease the intention to visit the ED by 28.1%.
Conclusion: TTS for non-critical emergencies have the potential to decrease the use of ED services.
Methods: Data from a TTS based in the French part of Switzerland were analyzed. This service consists of a medical contact center for non-critical emergencies, with trained nurses available 24/7. A random selection of 2,034 adult calls was performed between July and December 2018. Research students contacted users 2 to 4 weeks after the initial call and assessed sociodemographic and clinical data, as well as the impact of the advice received on the use of the healthcare system.
Results: A sample of 412 (22.2%) users was included in the analyses. The average age was 49.0 (SD 20.4) years; 68.5% were women and 72.8% of Swiss origin. The two main recommendations provided by nurses were to consult the emergency department (ED) (44.6%, n=184) and to contact a physician on duty (33.2%, n=137). The majority of users followed the advice given by the nurses (substantial agreement [k=0.79] with consulting the ED and perfect agreement [k=0.87] with contacting a physician on duty). We calculated that calling the TTS could decrease the intention to visit the ED by 28.1%.
Conclusion: TTS for non-critical emergencies have the potential to decrease the use of ED services.
Unit of Analysis
412 individuals
Version
Version Description
Version 1.0
Version Date
2021-02-16
Scope
Keywords
| Keyword |
|---|
| Telephone triage |
| general practice |
| emergency medicine |
| delivery of health care |
Coverage
Universe
Humans
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Chloé Thierrin | Department of Ambulatory Care, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Aurélie Augsburger | Department of Training, Research and Innovation, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Fabrice Dami | Fondation Urgences Santé, Lausanne, Switzerland. Emergency Department, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Christophe Monney | Department of Ambulatory Care, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Fondation Urgences Santé, Lausanne, Switzerland. |
| Philippe Staeger | Department of Ambulatory Care, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Fondation Urgences Santé, Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Carole Clair | Department of Training, Research and Innovation, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Fondation Urgences Santé | |
| Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland | Unisanté |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
In this cross-sectional study, a research collaborator randomly selected calls each week from all TTS calls made during a 4-month period (July 24 to September 27, 2018, and October 23 to December 17, 2018) by using STATA software (Stata Corp 2015, College Station, Texas, USA).
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2018-07-24 | 2018-09-27 |
| 2018-10-23 | 2018-12-17 |
Data Collection Mode
Users were contacted by phone by trained research university students (not necessary medical students) who collected the data. During the phone encounter, participants provided oral consent, after which the students recorded their answers on a secured software system (REDCap). The consent was given orally and the answer was transcribed into the Redcap form. If the answer was negative, the interrogation was interrupted. For each included participant, a research assistant also retrieved data from the TTS database that had been recorded during the initial call by the nurse. The data from the records were used for the exact date of the call and the time of the call. These data were retrieved from the registration form and added to the secure folders (REDCap) by the research assistant.
Access policy
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Thierrin, Chloé | Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland | thierrin.chloe@gmail.com |
| Racine, Céline (Repository manager) | Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland | dfri.data@unisante.ch |
Confidentiality
Access conditions
Licensed datasets, accessible under conditions
To request access to licensed datasets, please register to the website to continue (https://data.unisante.ch/index.php/auth/register). Once your registration will be approved you must login and go to the "GET MICRODATA" tab and fill in the application form for access to the licensed dataset.
This form includes our Data access agreement and must be filled and submitted by the Lead Researcher. Lead Researcher refers to the person who serves as the main point of contact for all communications involving this agreement. The Lead Researcher assumes all responsibility for compliance with all terms of this Data Access Agreement by employees of the receiving organization.
This request will be reviewed by the Primary Investigator, who may decide to approve the request, to deny access to the data, or to request additional information from the Lead Researcher. A signed copy of this request form may also be requested.
If special conditions apply to the transfer of the requested data (e.g. transfer under a contract between Unisanté and a third party), the references of the contract concerned or the document in which the conditions are specified must be referenced in the request form. The person who makes the request will still need to check the box confirming the acceptance of the terms of use, it being understood that the conditions written in the above mentioned contract will apply.
To request access to licensed datasets, please register to the website to continue (https://data.unisante.ch/index.php/auth/register). Once your registration will be approved you must login and go to the "GET MICRODATA" tab and fill in the application form for access to the licensed dataset.
This form includes our Data access agreement and must be filled and submitted by the Lead Researcher. Lead Researcher refers to the person who serves as the main point of contact for all communications involving this agreement. The Lead Researcher assumes all responsibility for compliance with all terms of this Data Access Agreement by employees of the receiving organization.
This request will be reviewed by the Primary Investigator, who may decide to approve the request, to deny access to the data, or to request additional information from the Lead Researcher. A signed copy of this request form may also be requested.
If special conditions apply to the transfer of the requested data (e.g. transfer under a contract between Unisanté and a third party), the references of the contract concerned or the document in which the conditions are specified must be referenced in the request form. The person who makes the request will still need to check the box confirming the acceptance of the terms of use, it being understood that the conditions written in the above mentioned contract will apply.
Citation requirements
Thierrin C., Augsburger A., Dami F., Monney C., Staeger P-, Clair C. Impact of a telephone triage service for non-critical emergencies in Switzerland: a cross-sectional study. Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Version 1.0 of the licensed dataset (February 2021), provided by the Unisanté Research Data Repository. DOI:10.16909/DATASET/25
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Copyright
(c) 2020, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
10.16909-DATASET-25
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Switzerland | Unisanté | Data publisher |
DDI Document version
Version 1.0 (February 2021)