Telephone Medicine:
Triage and Training for Primary Care

• Organizing the telephone system to support the practice
• Prioritizing when an appointment is needed -- using time-tested protocols for the most common calls encountered in a primary care practice
• Satisfying patients on the telephone and creating a postivie image for the practice

• Assessing an injury or illness and deciding whether to seek medical attention
• Watching for changes in symptoms
• Treating injuries and illness at home, when appropriate

• Uses Telephone Decision Guidelines, a rapid reference of questions for assessing the urgency of most common telephone calls
• Written at an appropriate level for the medical office assistant and organized by complaint
• Chapters on individual complaints cover adults and children and provide staff with essential background information and a list of the questions to ask in order to determine the urgency of the patient's condition; covers 19 pediatric symptoms and 33 adult symptoms
• Includes sample cases to train and evaluate personnel
• Offers guidance on risk management for physician and staff