Experiences of telephone based digital triage in urgent care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An interview study to explore patient and carer experiences of urgent care delivered though telephone based digital triage
IRAS ID
288532
Contact name
H Atherton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Care services that provide emergency (e.g. 999 ambulance service) and out of hours care (urgent care outside of general practice opening) often use digitally supported ‘telephone triage’. This involves a staff member using a ‘digital triage tool’ to help assess each patient’s needs over the phone and refer them to the most appropriate service. The digital triage tool automatically generates signposting or care advice based on the patient’s symptoms. This helps health care services manage high demand and helps patients receive timely care.
This research investigates how service users (who may be patients or carers) experience these types of services. Working with up to six UK service providers, this study will recruit a diverse range of patients and carers. It will investigate how patient experience compares for those who receive low urgency advice as compared to those receiving higher urgency advice. The study will also investigate user attitudes to these telephone based services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding user experience will help identify areas that can be improved in service design and delivery, and so improve patients’ care journeys and outcomes.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/EM/0093
Date of REC Opinion
30 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion