title: Evaluation of telephone triage and advice services: a systematic review on methods, metrics and results.
abstract: Telephone triage and advice services (TTAS) have been increasingly used to assess patients' symptoms, provide information and refer patients to appropriate levels of care (attempting to pursue efficiency and quality of care gains while ensuring safety). However, previous reviews have pointed out for the need for adequately evaluating TTAS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review TTAS evaluation studies, compile methodologies and metrics used and compare results. Systematic search in PubMed database; data collection and categorization by TTAS features and context, type of evaluation, methods, metrics and results; critical assessment of studies; discussion on research needs. 395 articles screened, 55 of them included in the analysis. In conclusion, several aspects of TTAS impact on healthcare systems remain unclear either due to a lack of research (e.g. on long term clinical outcomes, clinical pathways, safety, enhanced access) or because of huge disparities in existing studies on the accuracy of advice, patient compliance, system use, satisfaction and economic evaluation. Further research on TTAS impact is required, comprising multiple perspectives and broad range of metrics.
authors: Catholic University of Portugal, Faculty of Engineering, Lisbon, Portugal. sara.carrasqueiro@fe.lisboa.ucp.pt
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Carrasqueiro
authors: Mónica
authors: M
authors: Oliveira
authors: Pedro
authors: P
authors: Encarnação
mesh_terms: D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006302:Health Services Research; D015277:Hotlines / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000379:methods; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000379:methods; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D013689:Telephone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards