Optimising telephone triage of patients calling for acute shortness of breath during out-of-hours primary care: protocol of a multiple methods study (Opticall)

INTRODUCTION: Callers with acute shortness of breath (SOB) are a challenge for telephone triage at out-of-hours primary care (OHS-PC) as SOB could be the sign of a potentially life-threatening disease, yet mostly is a symptom of a broad range of self-limiting disorders. Current telephone triage practice is mainly expert based and clear evidence on accuracy, safety and efficiency of the use of the Netherlands Triage Standard (NTS) by triage nurses based on the eventual clinical outcome is lacking for this domain. METHODS AND DATA ANALYSIS: Multiple methods study in five OHS-PC services in the Utrecht region, the Netherlands. Data will be collected from OHS-PC electronic health records (EHR) and backed up tapes of telephone triage conversations, which will be linked to routine primary care EHR data. In cross-sectional studies, we will (1) validate the NTS urgency classification for adults with SOB against final diagnoses and (2) develop diagnostic prediction models for urgent diagnoses (eg, composite endpoint of urgent diagnoses, pulmonary embolism, acute coronary syndrome, acute heart failure and pneumonia). We will develop improvement measures for the use of the NTS by triage nurses through practice observations and semistructured interviews with patients, triage nurses and general practitioners (GPs). In an action research approach, we will, in collaboration with these stakeholders, implement and evaluate our findings in both GP and triage nurse educational programmes as well as in OHS-PC services. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Medical Ethics Review Committee Utrecht, the Netherlands, approved the study protocol (protocol 21/361). We will take into account the ‘code of conduct for responsible research’ of the WHO, the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the ‘Dutch Medical Treatment Contracts Act’. Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and at (inter)national meetings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NL9682.