As the new year begins, we thought it might be interesting to take a look back over the last year to see what the most used telephone triage protocols were in ClearTriage in 2023.
To do this, we compiled the data from all of the active ClearTriage accounts and sorted based on the number of times each protocol was copied into the patient’s medical record. For our top 20 lists, we combined the usage of the After Hours and Office Hours protocols to best capture the overall reasons for patient calls.
It is interesting to note that while many of the top 20 protocols are the same for After Hours and Office Hours (with some variation in protocol ordering), there are also a few differences between the After Hours and Office Hours top 20 individual lists. To see those lists, click on the links below the cumulative top 20 Pediatric and Adult lists below.
The percentages seen next to the names of the protocols in the top 20 list represent the percentage of all pediatric or adult calls for 2023. For example, 9.4% of the millions of pediatric calls taken using ClearTriage in 2023 were related to coughs.
Interestingly, for pediatric calls the top 20 protocols account for over 55% of all of the pediatric calls in 2023 (there are 354 total protocols in After Hours Peds). For adult calls the top 20 protocols account for just over 43% of all of the adult calls in 2023 (there are 417 total protocols in After Hours Adult).
Not surprisingly, we noticed a similar trend when reviewing the top 20 screening guides used in SymptomScreen last year. For more information, make sure to check out our Most Used SymptomScreen Guides of 2023 report.
Top 20 Pediatric Protocols Used in 2023
- Cough – 9.4%
Total Top 20 Pediatric Protocols – 55.5%
Other Pediatric Protocols Used – 44.5% - Fever – 3 Months or Older – 6.3%
- Vomiting Without Diarrhea- 4.2%
- Colds Without Cough – 3.9%
- Sore Throat – 3.3%
- Eye – Pus Or Discharge – 3.3%
- Diarrhea – 2.8%
- Constipation – 2.6%
- Earache – 2.5%
- Head Injury – 2.3%
- COVID-19 – Diagnosed or Suspected – 2.0%
- Vomiting with Diarrhea – 1.9%
- Rash or Redness – Widespread – 1.7%
- Medication Question Call – 1.6%
- Rash or Redness – Localized – 1.6%
- Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease – 1.4%
- Immunization Reactions – 1.3%
- Diaper Rash – 1.2%
- Abdominal Pain – Female – 1.2%
- Sinus Pain or Congestion – 1.1%
2023 Top 20 Protocols – Office Hours Pediatric PDF
2023 Top 20 Protocols – After Hours Pediatric PDF
Top 20 Adult Protocols Used in 2023
- Cough – 5.1%
Total Top 20 Adult Protocols – 43.5%
Other Adult Protocols Used – 56.5% - COVID-19 – Diagnosed or Suspected – 4.1%
- Back Pain – 2.8%
- Chest Pain – 2.7%
- Urinary Symptoms – 2.6%
- Sore Throat – 2.5%
- Blood Pressure – High – 2.5%
- Dizziness – 2.3%
- Abdominal Pain – Female – 2.2%
- Sinus Pain or Congestion – 2.1%
- Breathing Difficulty – 2.1%
- Headache – 1.8%
- Diarrhea – 1.8%
- Medication Question Call – 1.6%
- Abdominal Pain – Male – 1.3%
- Leg Swelling and Edema – 1.3%
- Heart Rate and Heartbeat Questions – 1.2%
- Leg Pain – 1.2%
- Rash or Redness – Localized – 1.2%
- Neurologic Deficit – 1.1%
2023 Top 20 Protocols – Office Hours Adult PDF
2023 Top 20 Protocols – After Hours Adult PDF
Which Protocols Do My Nurses Use?
ClearTriage includes self-service reporting at no additional cost. To see how your organization compares, run the Protocols Used report in ClearTriage Admin. Click here to see a full list and description of all of the reports available in ClearTriage.
ClearTriage is a web-based decision support tool for telephone triage nurses and the leading provider of the Schmitt-Thompson telephone triage protocols. Start your 30-day free trial today!
