Opticall Action

Shortness of breath (SOB) is a common reason for patients to call out-of-hours primary care. Triage nurses assess the patient by telephone with help of the Netherlands Triage Standard (NTS) and determine the urgency and appropriate response time. In the OPTICALL-study, we showed that the current triage of patients with SOB is neither safe nor efficient. About 40% of those with a potentially life-threatening event (pLTE) were assigned a too low urgency, and about 40% of those without pLTE were assigned a too high urgency. We developed a new prediction model for such patients that is safer and more efficient than the current NTS’ scheme for the ‘entrance complaint’ SOB.

Aim and approach

This project incorporates the new prediction model in the NTS together with triage nurses, 112 call centralists, general practitioners (GP), and patients. We will evaluate the impact of the ‘new NTS’ compared to the ‘old NTS’ through a before-and-after study. Additionally, we will develop implementation materials in partnership with the NTS Editorial Board.