Validation of Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage System: A Prospective Validation Study

Emergency medical dispatchers' experiences of using the Medical Priority Dispatch System telephone triage to identify maternity emergencies: a qualitative focus group study

OBJECTIVES

The ambulance service plays a pivotal role in the provision of care in out-of-hospital maternity emergencies. Telephone triage of this patient group is complex and must be sensitive to an emergency situation to prevent unnecessary delays in treatment. This study aimed to explore emergency medical dispatchers' (EMDs) perceptions of the structured protocol they use.

DESIGN

Voluntary participation in semistructured phenomenological focus groups. The participants were asked to discuss their experiences of using Medical Priority Dispatch System Protocol 24 (pregnancy, childbirth and miscarriage). Thematic analysis was applied to code and group topics. Discussion between the EMDs is presented for each theme and their experiences, including quotes, are presented to offer an overview of the maternity protocol and its use.

SETTING

A large urban UK ambulance service.

PARTICIPANTS

23 control room staff.

RESULTS

Perceptions of maternity emergencies, challenges with key questions, the need for sensitivity surrounding miscarriage, using prearrival instructions and postdispatch instructions to help patients and ideas for additional ProQA functionality emerged as the five overarching themes. Protocol 24 was considered to reflect many of the clinical factors EMDs associate with maternity emergencies although further factors, including some non-clinical, were suggested for inclusion. Miscarriage and termination-related calls were thought to be challenging as the language of the protocol is designed for pregnancy. However, instructions were generally considered well written and user-friendly, although some were thought to be unnecessary. EMDs were largely positive regarding the ProQA software, but felt backward navigation was difficult if a situation changed.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternity calls were considered rewarding but complex by EMDs. We suggest changes including the use of more sensitive language in response to miscarriage and termination and make recommendations for the omission and inclusion of specific instructions, as well as enhancements to key questions and functionality. Further research is needed to ensure focus group findings are generalisable to other services, particularly in other countries.

Patients' experiences with an obstetric telephone triage system: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Telephone Triage Systems aim to provide a uniform and practical system for healthcare professionals in order to prioritize urgency of care. A disadvantage of telephone triage system could be that the conversations are experienced as less personal, as it uses a uniform procedure for every patient. Therefore, aside from the clinical relevance, patient expectations, experiences and satisfaction were studied.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to explore patients' experiences with obstetric telephone triage.

METHODS

A descriptive, qualitative design to explore experiences after triage with Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage System. Participants, recruited from two Dutch hospitals, were pregnant women who received triage by telephone. Semi-structured interviews were held. The following topics were discussed: expectations before triage, experiences with triage, waiting time, information and communication, approach of healthcare professional, and quality of treatment. Data were analyzed using open, axial and selective coding.

RESULTS

Overall, the participants experienced the telephone conversation as satisfactory. This was due to the perceived professionalism with high accessibility and perceived reassurance. The approach of the professional was experienced as friendly and empathetic. Participants suggested that triage services could be improved by looking specifically at information provision. Explaining in advance how the service works can be helpful to create more awareness and to align better with expectations.

CONCLUSION

Participants reported that they could tell their own story and most participants realized that the professional asked extra questions in order to quantify the seriousness of the complaints. The level of involvement in the next steps of their care episode experienced by respondents lead us to conclude that the professional intended patient-centered care.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Improving the provision of information during waiting times and about the accessibility of the service can increase the quality of obstetric triage care. Patient involvement is necessary to increase trust and to meet the needs of the patient.

Telephone Referral to a Paediatric Emergency Department: Why Do Parents Not Show Up?

Medical call centres can evaluate and refer patients to an emergency department (ED), a physician or provide guidance for self-care. Our aim was (1) to determine parental adherence to an ED orientation after being referred by the nurses of a call centre, (2) to observe how adherence varies according to children's characteristics and (3) to assess parents' reasons for non-adherence. This was a prospective cohort study set in the Lausanne agglomeration, Switzerland. From 1 February to 5 March 2022, paediatric calls (<16 years old) with an ED orientation were selected. Life-threatening emergencies were excluded. Parental adherence was then verified in the ED. All parents were contacted by telephone to respond to a questionnaire regarding their call. Parental adherence to the ED orientation was 75%. Adherence decreased significantly with increasing distance between the place the call originated and the ED. The child's age, sex and health complaints within calls had no effect on adherence. The three major reasons for non-adherence to telephone referral were: improvement in the child's condition (50.7%), parents' decision to go elsewhere (18.3%) and an appointment with a paediatrician (15.5%). Our results offer new perspectives to optimise the telephone assessment of paediatric patients and decrease barriers to adherence.

Evaluation of Normalization After Implementation of the Digital Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage System: Mixed Methods Study With a Questionnaire Survey and Focus Group Discussion

Background

The Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage System (DOTTS) was developed to improve the quality of acute obstetric care. To achieve optimal effect, the DOTTS should be adopted in the daily care process by triage staff.

Objective

The primary aim was to evaluate the degree of implementation (ie, normalization) of the DOTTS, and the secondary aim was to evaluate which lessons can be learned from its current implementation in Dutch hospitals.

Methods

An evaluation study with a mixed methods design was performed. All triage staff in 9 Dutch hospitals that implemented the DOTTS before September 1, 2019, were invited to complete the Normalization Measure Development (NoMAD) questionnaire between December 2019 and July 2020. The questionnaire is based on the Normalization Process Theory (NPT). This self-reported questionnaire provides insights into the work people do in order to integrate and embed new practice in routine care. The NPT is based on the following 4 constructs: coherence, cognitive participation, collective action, and reflexive monitoring. Within the questionnaire, each construct is represented by 4-7 questions. Questions are scored on a 5-point normalization process scale. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of questionnaire scores. Subsequently, the questionnaire findings were discussed during a focus group. Template analysis following the 4 constructs was used for analyzing the results of the focus group.

Results

Overall, 173 of 294 (58.8%) triage staff members completed the NoMAD questionnaire, and 90.2% (156/173) of the participants had used the DOTTS for over 6 months. The digital application was used as much as possible or always by 137 of 173 (79.2%) participants. The overall normalization process score was 3.77 (SD 0.36). The constructs coherence, cognitive participation, collective action, and reflexive monitoring scored 4.01 (SD 0.47), 4.05 (SD 0.45), 3.5 (SD 0.45), and 3.72 (SD 0.47), respectively. Analysis of the focus group discussion showed that the added value of the DOTTS was seen as a quality improvement for the care of pregnant women. Dedication of the complete multidisciplinary implementation team was important for facilitating normalization. Support from the medical staff and proper use by all disciplines involved in the triage were seen as facilitating factors. Participants appreciated training and evaluation, and indicated a need for ongoing training and evaluation in relation to goal achievement.

Conclusions

The DOTTS has been integrated into normal care in daily practice. Evaluation by the NoMAD questionnaire provided a positive overall score. These results are in line with or, in some aspects, better than the results of other evaluation studies. Key factors in the normalization process of the DOTTS in obstetric triage are the shared added value for stakeholders, the dedication of the complete multidisciplinary implementation team, and implementation plans that are tailor made in the practical context of the hospital.

Reliability of Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage

Background

Safety and efficiency of emergency care can be optimized with a triage system which uses urgency to prioritize care. The Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage System (DOTTS) was developed to provide a basis for assessing urgency of unplanned obstetric care requests by telephone. Reliability and validity are important components in evaluating such (obstetric) triage systems.

Objective

To determine the reliability of Dutch Obstetric Telephone Triage, by calculating the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability.

Methods

To evaluate the urgency levels of DOTTS by testing inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, 90 vignettes of possible requests were developed. Nineteen participants, from hospitals where DOTTS had been implemented, rated in two rounds a set of ten vignettes. The five urgency levels and five presenting symptoms had an equal spread and had to be entered in accordance with DOTTS per vignette. Urgency levels were dichotomized into high urgency and intermediate urgency. Inter-rater reliability was rated as degree of agreement between two different participants with the same vignette. Intra-rater reliability was rated as agreement by the same participants at different moments in time. The degree of inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was tested using weighted Cohen’s Kappa and ICC.

Results

The agreement of urgency level between participants in accordance with predefined urgency level per vignette was 90.5% (95% CI 87.5–93.6) [335 of 370]. Agreement of urgency level between participants was 88.5% (95% CI 84.9–93.0) [177 of 200] and 84.9% (95% CI 78.3–91.4) after re-rating [101 of 119]. Inter-rater reliability of DOTTS expressed as Cohen’s Kappa was 0.77 and as ICC 0.87; intra-rater reliability of DOTTS expressed as Cohen’s Kappa was 0.70 and as ICC 0.82.

Conclusion

Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of DOTTS showed substantial correlation, and is comparable to other studies. Therefore, DOTTS is considered reliable.