THE NURSE ADVICE LINE

The Medicine

The Registered Nurse triage process uses specialized Microsoft-based software and interactive voice response technology to support the Schmitt/Thompson protocols in use at our call centers. 

Our protocols reflect an extensive, high-quality physician-written, reviewed, and updated medical knowledgebase. The guidelines provide consistent, accurate triage information, as well as home care and health education information, and they are updated continuously.                                             

The Software

To run these guidelines, our call centers use a state of the art triage supported, software platform.  This software is much more flexible than the legacy 16-bit COBOL systems used throughout much of the industry, and was selected after an extensive study of all platforms on the market.  We have found that this software allows us to modify our services to meet the diverse needs of our clients.

THE PROCESS

When patients in need of medical assistance call one of our Medical Call Centers, they will first hear a disclaimer stating that if they are experiencing an emergency, they should hang up and call 911 or their appropriate emergency number. Callers will then have the option of being connected to the audio health library, or speaking immediately with a Registered Nurse. If a caller chooses to speak with a nurse, the nurse will document and discuss the patient's symptoms and recommend an appropriate course of action. These courses of action (dispositions) range from "home care procedures" to "seek emergency care."  Depending on the disposition, our nurses will place follow-up phone calls to assure that the caller's condition has improved. Callers will never get a busy signal!

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