Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28369871›Full record

Observational studyHealth services research2018

Emergency Department Attendance after Telephone Triage: A Population-Based Data Linkage Study.

Amy Gibson, Deborah Randall, Duong T Tran, Mary Byrne, Anthony Lawler, Alys Havard, Maureen Robinson, Louisa R Jorm

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Health services research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Evaluation of the performance of telephone triage service.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Observational
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Amy GibsonCentre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Deborah RandallCentre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Duong T TranCentre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Mary ByrneHealthdirect Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Anthony LawlerDepartment of Health and Human Services, University of Tasmania and Healthdirect Australia, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Alys HavardCentre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Maureen RobinsonHealthdirect Australia, Clinical Governance, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Louisa R JormCentre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
UNSW Sydney · AUNew South Wales Department of Health · AUUniversity of Tasmania · AUVision Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate compliance with telephone helpline advice to attend an emergency department (ED) and the acuity of patients who presented to ED following a call. DATA SOURCES/COLLECTION

methodsIn New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 2009-2012, all (1.04 million) calls to a telephone triage service, ED presentations, hospital admissions and death registrations, linked using probabilistic data linkage. STUDY

designPopulation-based, observational cohort study measuring ED presentations within 24 hours of a call in patients (1) with dispositions to attend ED (compliance) and (2) low-urgency dispositions (self-referral), triage categories on ED presentation. PRINCIPAL

findingsA total of 66.5 percent of patients were compliant with dispositions to attend an ED. A total of 6.2 percent of patients with low-urgency dispositions self-referred to the ED within 24 hours. After age adjustment, healthdirect compliant patients were significantly less likely (7.8 percent) to receive the least urgent ED triage category compared to the general NSW ED population (16.9 percent).

conclusionsThis large population-based data linkage study provides precise estimates of ED attendance following calls to a telephone triage service and details the predictors of ED attendance. Patients who attend an ED compliant with a healthdirect helpline disposition are significantly less likely than the general ED population to receive the lowest urgency triage category on arrival.

Indexed as

TelephoneAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChildChild, PreschoolEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleMiddle AgedNew South WalesPatient ComplianceAdministrative data usesepidemiologyhospitalsreferrals, referral networks

Identifiers

PMID28369871
PMCPMC5867179
OpenAlexW2600096930

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.