Schmitt-Thompson Clinical Updates for Telephone Triage Nurses

Dr. Barton Schmitt and Dr. David Thompson are the lead authors of the telephone triage protocols used in ClearTriage. They and their teams also write a periodic newsletter for telephone triage nurses to share information about telephone triage including guidance on particular protocols and help with current media topics.

Here are links to current and past issues of the “Clinical Updates” newsletter. We’ve marked some of our favorites.

2024 – 2025

Tips for How to Manage Medical Specialty Triage Calls

2022 – 2023

Holiday Pediatric Ingestions
Adult Care Advice Topics
Critical Thinking in TelehealthTriage
Monkeypox (Mpox) Update for Telehealth Triage
Winter Call Volume Surges: An Action Plan
Triage of After-Hours Hospice Calls
Formula Shortage in the United States – Helping Parents
Telehealth Triage of Sexual Assault

2020 – 2021

Pediatric Respiratory Assessment Refresh
Heat Wave Emergencies
COVID-19 and Influenza – What’s Different and What’s the Same?
COVID-19 and Influenza – Combined Triage
Telephone Triage Nurses and Telemedicine Providers – Key Strategies for Teamwork in Office Practice
Getting to Yes
Providing Meaningful Feedback for the Telephone Triage Nurse
Patient Satisfaction and Service Recovery

2018 – 2019

E‐Cigarettes and Vaping
Measles in 2019
Fever Phobia Revisited
Triage of the Anxious Caller
Call Center Metrics for Meeting the Quadruple Aims
Review and Documentation of Patient’s Medical History – How Much is Necessary During Telephone Triage?
Rectal Thermometry to Confirm Fever in Babies Under 3 Months – The Evidence Behind the Practice

2016 – 2017

When Antibiotics are Not Needed – How to Support and Educate Callers
“Dry” Drowning – Sailing Through Parental Concerns
Improving Health Literacy Skills in Your Call Center
When Time is of the Essence – Efficiency Tips for Phone Triage
Asking the Right Questions at the Right Time
“Mutant” Head Lice Reports Drive Triage Nurses Buggy
Zika Virus – Preparing Your Call Center for Patient Questions

2014 – 2015

Salmonella Outbreak and Food-borne Illness
COPD Post-Hospitalization Triage and Follow-Up
Smoking Cessation – Tips for Helping Callers Quit
Ebola Virus Disease
Enterovirus-D68 Associated with Severe Respiratory Illness in Children
Measles Outbreak – How to Spot
Triage of Patients with Heart Failure Post-Hospitalization
The Polar Vortex and Frostbite

2012 – 2013

Nasal Congestion, Saline and Suction
Risk Management Checklist for Call Centers; Good Call Checklist
West Nile Virus
Whooping Cough
Heat Wave Emergencies
Treating Coughs in Childhood
Coughing Children: How to Reassure Callers

2010 – 2011

The Neti Pot and Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis; Maximum Acetaminophen Dosing
Delayed Skin Rashes in Children Taking an Antibiotic
Radiation Guidance for Callers
Hand-Only CPR; Colds and Flu
Head Lice
Headache in Adults
Pollen Allergies
Head Injuries in Children