title: Novel Application of a Reverse Triage Protocol Providing Increased Access to Care in an Outpatient, Primary Care Clinic Setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As the number of patients with access to care increases, outpatient clinics will need to implement innovative strategies to maintain or enhance clinic efficiency. One viable alternative involves reverse triage.
  
  
  METHODS
  A reverse triage protocol was implemented during a student-run free clinic. Each patient's chief complaint(s) were obtained at the beginning of the clinic session and ranked by increasing complexity. "Complexity" was defined as the subjective amount of time required to provide a full, thorough evaluation of a patient. Less complex cases were prioritized first since they could be expedited through clinic processing and allow for more time and resources to be dedicated to complex cases. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize and summarize the data obtained. Categorical variables were analyzed using chi-square. A time series analysis of the outcome versus centered time in weeks was also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average number of patients seen per clinic session increased by 35% (9.5 versus 12.8) from pre-implementation of the reverse triage protocol to 6 months after the implementation of the protocol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of a reverse triage in an outpatient setting significantly increased clinic efficiency as noted by a significant increase in the number of patients seen during a clinic session.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, University of Florida.
authors.forename: Amanda N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Sacino
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shuster
authors.forename: Kamil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nowicki
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Carek
authors.forename: Martin P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Wegman
authors.forename: Alyson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Listhaus
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gibney
authors.forename: Ku-Lang
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000070319:Student Run Clinic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods*