Dataset Information

A COVID-19 screening tool for oncology telephone triage.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:Symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection have made the assessment and triage of cancer patients extremely complicated. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a COVID-19 screening tool for oncology telephone triage. METHODS:An Ambulatory Oncology Clinical Nurse Educator and three faculty members worked on the development of an oncology specific triage tool based on the challenges that oncology nurses were having with the generic COVID triage tool. A thorough search of the published literature, as well as pertinent websites, verified that no screening tool for oncology patients was available. RESULTS:The screening tool met a number of essential criteria: (1) simple and easy to use, (2) included the most common signs and symptoms as knowledge of COVID-19 infection changed, (3) was congruent with the overall screening procedures of the medical center, (4) included questions about risk factors for and environmental exposures related to COVID-19, and (5) assessed patient's current cancer history and treatment status. Over a period of 3 weeks, the content and specific questions on the tool were modified based on information obtained from a variety of sources and feedback from the triage nurses. CONCLUSION:Within 1 month, the tool was developed and implemented in clinical practice. Oncology clinicians can modify this tool to triage patients as well as to screen patients in a variety of outpatient settings (e.g., chemotherapy infusion units, radiation therapy departments). The tool will require updates and modifications based on available resources and individual health care organizations' policies and procedures.

SUBMITTER: Elkin E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7453077 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A COVID-19 screening tool for oncology telephone triage.

Elkin Emmika E Viele Carol C Schumacher Karen K Boberg Maureen M Cunningham Mari M Liu Lauren L Miaskowski Christine C

Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 20200828 4

<h4>Purpose</h4>Symptoms associated with COVID-19 infection have made the assessment and triage of cancer patients extremely complicated. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a COVID-19 screening tool for oncology telephone triage.<h4>Methods</h4>An Ambulatory Oncology Clinical Nurse Educator and three faculty members worked on the development of an oncology specific triage tool based on the challenges that oncology nurses were having with the generic CO ...[more]

PMID: 32856214

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Project description:BackgroundDuring the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapidly rising disease prevalence in the United States created a demand for patient-facing information exchanges that addressed questions and concerns about the disease. One approach to managing increased patient volumes during a pandemic involves the implementation of telephone-based triage systems. During a pandemic, telephone triage hotlines can be employed in innovative ways to conserve medical resources and offer useful population-level data about disease symptomatology and risk factor profiles.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to describe and evaluate the COVID-19 telephone triage hotline used by a large academic medical center in the midwestern United States.MethodsMichigan Medicine established a telephone hotline to triage inbound patient calls related to COVID-19. For calls received between March 24, 2020, and May 5, 2020, we described total call volume, data reported by callers including COVID-19 risk factors and symptomatology, and distribution of callers to triage algorithm endpoints. We also described symptomatology reported by callers who were directed to the institutional patient portal (online medical visit questionnaire).ResultsA total of 3929 calls (average 91 calls per day) were received by the call center during the study period. The maximum total number of daily calls peaked at 211 on March 24, 2020. Call volumes were the highest from 6 AM to 11 AM and during evening hours. Callers were most often directed to the online patient portal (1654/3929, 42%), nursing hotlines (1338/3929, 34%), or employee health services (709/3929, 18%). Cough (126/370 of callers, 34%), shortness of breath (101/370, 27%), upper respiratory infection (28/111, 25%), and fever (89/370, 24%) were the most commonly reported symptoms. Immunocompromised state (23/370, 6%) and age >65 years (18/370, 5%) were the most commonly reported risk factors.ConclusionsThe triage algorithm successfully diverted low-risk patients to suitable algorithm endpoints, while directing high-risk patients onward for immediate assessment. Data collected from hotline calls also enhanced knowledge of symptoms and risk factors that typified community members, demonstrating that pandemic hotlines can aid in the clinical characterization of novel diseases.

Dataset Information

A COVID-19 screening tool for oncology telephone triage.

Publications

A COVID-19 screening tool for oncology telephone triage.

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