What is the Most Important Skill a Telephone Triage Nurse Must Possess?
What makes a nurse a good telephone triage nurse? A question I am asked all the time is what skill is the most important for a telephone triage nurse to possess? I think the very best answer is a good sense of common sense. A nurse who cannot see the patient face to face will be unaware if a patient appears pale or clammy or weak. Finely tuned communication skills allow the nurse the ability to capture the information required to recommend a plan of care. This is done utilizing clinical triage protocols that help the nurse determine the severity of the patient’s health issues and rank them according to urgency. Telehealth triage nurses educate patients and guide them to appropriate care.
Charlene Slaney, RN
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