Telephone Triage and Consultation Skills 19 February 2025

Date: 19 February 2025 Time: 09h00 – 15h00 Session Type: Webinar using zoom

Course Aims:

To equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to perform effective telephone triage and consultations in primary care and community settings, ensuring safe and efficient patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this one-day webinar, participants will be able to:

• Employ effective questioning and active listening to obtain comprehensive patient histories remotely.
• Identify and assess red flags, ensuring safe and appropriate decision-making during triage.
• Apply frameworks and tools to prioritise and escalate patient care as needed.
•  Provide clear advice and guidance for patients, ensuring they know when and how to seek further help.
•  Confidently handle difficult conversations, including patients with complex needs or unclear symptoms.
• Ensure accurate and concise record-keeping that supports legal and clinical standards.

Course Content:

Foundations of Telephone Triage 

• Importance of telephone triage in modern healthcare.
• Effective communication skills for telephone consultations.
• Overcoming the challenges of remote assessments.
• Using structured questioning techniques to gather information.

Break 

Clinical Risk Management in Telephone Triage 

• Recognising red flags and serious symptoms.
• Decision-making frameworks (e.g., ABCDE assessment, NEWS2 tools).
• Escalation protocols: When and how to refer.
• Managing uncertainty: When a face-to-face review is essential.

Lunch Break 

Case-Based Discussions and Practical Applications 

• Interactive case studies: Common presentations (e.g., chest pain, abdominal pain, fever in children).
• Group discussions to practise triage skills and decision-making.
• Safety-netting: Clear communication to reduce patient anxiety and risk.

Managing Complex and Difficult Triage Calls

• Dealing with vague or ambiguous symptoms.
• Handling challenging patients: Emotional, angry, or distressed callers.
• Supporting patients with mental health concerns.
• Recognising cultural and language barriers in remote assessments.

Summary and Q&A 

• Recap of key points.
• Addressing participant queries and concerns.
• Actionable tips for ongoing improvement in telephone triage skills.