surgical triage nursing

Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN · Jun 24, 2021

I’m not sure what you think this is.

If these people have had surgical procedures, are they coming in for 10-day postop checks or the like? That would be common in an office setting.
If this is generally what you’ll be seeing, there should be a job description with expected competencies. I would expect you to take a look at the wound to check for healing, drainage, bruising, signs of infection, etc., take vitals, listen to their chests, check pulses if the surgery involved an extremity, ask about meds, see if any postop labs were drawn and reported, have all RX’d meds been taken, etc. Find out if any of the physicians have particular screens they want and have a form they want filled out before they enter the exam room.

None of this general basic assessment should be remotely exotic for somebody c 4 years of med/surg experience. Start c the job description and ask questions during your orientation. I doubt that any book beyond a first semester basic assessment of the postop patient would be necessary except as a refresher.
It sounds like a pretty easy job. Let us know if there’s something we’re missing here.

Rocket94 · Jun 24, 2021

Wow, thanks for the rude response. I am asking for a good book on triage nursing to use as a guide. If you didn’t have a good suggestion I’m not sure why you felt the need to comment. You are the type of nurse no one wants to deal with. Going from bedside nursing to over the phone triage nursing is a transition.

Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN · Jun 24, 2021

Hey now. I did say I wasn’t sure what you thought this was.

1) You said it was an office position. You did not say it was telephone triage.
2) Triage is a term used to describe initial screens for acuity or to guide further decision-making. This could certainly be a hands-on, in-person interaction.
3) Therefore I described how it should be easy for you and why specific resources would probably not be helpful.

OK, now that we’ve cleared up that little misunderstanding … may I say, chill out? Let’s start over. I’m trying to be helpful.

It sounds as if you would be making phone calls to postop patients to check their status and progress. This isn’t, strictly speaking, triage, so you will pardon my misunderstanding you.

If this is for calls after home discharge, you would likely have a checklist to help you elicit the needed information. If the office doesn’t have such a guide, then perhaps you could help produce one.

You will find an excellent guide to this process at https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/hospital/red/toolkit/redtool5.html that describes the general purpose of post-discharge phone monitoring and the components of such data collection.
Your physician(s) may have specific requests or specific data to include in your follow up calls. You might also be asked to call any VNA for their feedback after their home eval.

Perhaps the person who has been doing this can help you in orientation and show you how they like this telephonic interaction documented.

You’re welcome.

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2021

1 hour ago, Hannahbanana said:

Hey now. I did say I wasn’t sure what you thought this was.

1) You said it was an office position. You did not say it was telephone triage.

It sounds as if you would be making phone calls to postop patients to check their status and progress. This isn’t, strictly speaking, triage, so you will pardon my misunderstanding you.

It sounded to me like post-op case management; I was confused as well.

OP: When dealing telephonically all day with the public you will inevitably interact with people who have actually been rude to you, unlike Hannahbanana. Maybe practice taking a deep breath before responding in anger...?

Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN · Jun 24, 2021

I was wondering if anxiety was partly to blame. No biggie. Thanks, though.

Rocket94 · Jun 24, 2021

Alright, my bad. I do apologize. I took the original response the wrong way and interpreted it as very condescending. Yes. I am working completely over the phone- patients who have surgery with our particular practice can use me as a resource for questions and issues. I am wondering if there is a book a post op general surgery that can assist me- more as a guide and resource so I do not miss anything. Also it is hard to get a picture of what the pt is describing without asking the right questions.

Wuzzie · Jun 24, 2021

My patient population is too specialized and I came into this game with 2 decades of nursing so did not need as much guidance as a newer nurse might so I have not used this but the reviews are good.

https://www.amazon.com/Adult-Telephone-Protocols-Office-Version/dp/1610021959/ref=asc_df_1610021959/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312137955333&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14994988820673654917&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014969&hvtargid=pla-569772624655&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60258871617&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312137955333&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14994988820673654917&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014969&hvtargid=pla-569772624655

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Jun 24, 2021

1 minute ago, Rocket94 said:

Alright, my bad. I do apologize. I took the original response the wrong way and interpreted it as very condescending. Yes. I am working completely over the phone- patients who have surgery with our particular practice can use me as a resource for questions and issues. I am wondering if there is a book a post op general surgery that can assist me- more as a guide and resource so I do not miss anything. Also it is hard to get a picture of what the pt is describing without asking the right questions.

I wonder if it's possible for video to now be incorporated into the practice, especially with the big boost that COVID gave telehealth. It'd sure be easier to give advice if you could see the incision site rather than listen to a description.