@article{ref1,
title="Compliance with advice and appropriateness of emergency presentation following contact with the HealthDirect telephone triage service",
journal="Emergency medicine Australasia",
year="2004",
author="Sprivulis, Peter C. and Carey, Mary and Rouse, Ian",
volume="16",
number="1",
pages="35-40",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of compliance with advice and appropriateness of emergency presentation following contact with a telephone triage service (HealthDirect). <br><br>METHODS: Compliance rates, triage distributions and admission rates were determined using linked HealthDirect and ED records for patients living within 2 km of an ED that presented during 2000. <br><br>RESULTS: Of 13 019 presentations, 842 (6.5%) were HealthDirect contacts. In the HealthDirect group there were a greater proportion of patients under the age of 15 (290, 34% vs 1598, 13.1%) and women (481, 57% vs 5610, 46%). The triage distributions and admission rates for HealthDirect contacts and other patients were similar (HealthDirect 37.6% admitted, 95% CI 34-41, others 38.4% admitted, 95% CI 38-39, Pchi2 = 0.67). Of 3996 callers to HealthDirect, 3167 (79%) complied with advice with 963 (61%) complying with advice to present and 212 (9%, 95% CI 8-10%) presenting despite advice to defer presentation. Triage distributions and admission rates for compliers and non-compliers were similar (compliers 38% admitted, 95% CI 34-41, non-compliers, 37% admitted, 95% CI 30-44, Pchi2 = 0.89). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: HealthDirect contacts were of similar appropriateness to non-HealthDirect presenters and appear to attend the ED independent of HealthDirect advice. HealthDirect has a limited capacity to influence ED utilization or workload.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1742-6731",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}