Table 5 Assessment of percentage poor and relative risk (RR) of poor quality of health-related items for different triage professionals

1: Collects information about location^b

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.87 (0.61–1.23)^P = 0.43

0.91 (0.61–1.34) ^P = 0.62

Physician

0.72 (0.49–1.01) ^P = 0.10

0.75 (0.51–1.10) ^{P = 0.142}

2: Asks to speak to the patient when the caller has briefly described the situation^b

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.68 (0.52–0.89)* ^P = 0.01

0.71 (0.51–0.98)* ^P = 0.04

Physician

0.92 (0.76–1.12) ^P = 0.40

0.94 (0.75–1.17) ^P = 0.57

3: Identifies and acts appropriately on signs that could be critical or life-threatening for the patient (signs of problems according to the ABCDE criteria)

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.85 (0.63–1.17) ^P = 0.32

0.74 (0.55–1.00) ^P = 0.05

Physician

1.28 (0.99–1.67) ^P = 0.06

1.31 (1.00–1.70)* ^P = 0.05

4: Identifies and uncovers problems, including symptoms and their development

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.66 (0.52–0.83)* ^P = 0.00

0.61 (0.47–0.80)* ^P = 0.00

Physician

1.12 (0.93–1.37) ^P = 0.24

1.09 (0.89–1.34) ^P = 0.39

5: Identifies and states the purpose of the patient’s call

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.78 (0.59–1.04) ^P = 0.09

0.76 (0.54–1.70) ^P = 0.12

Physician

1.16 (0.91–1.49) ^P = 0.24

1.14 (0.86–1.50) ^P = 0.37

6: Prioritises the presented problems and symptoms in an appropriate way

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.94 (0.75–1.18) ^{P = 0.0.60}

0.81 (0.63–1.03) ^P = 0.8

Physician

1.37 (1.12–1.67)* ^P = 0.00

1.28 (1.05–1.57)* ^P = 0.02

7: Asks, as a minimum, all the essential questions concerning the problem(s) and symptom(s) required for optimal triage

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.77 (0.63–0.94)* ^P = 0.01

0.74 (0.59–0.93)* ^P = 0.01

Physician

1.22 (1.03–1.44)* ^P = 0.02

1.20 (1.01–1.42)* ^P = 0.04

8: Asks the relevant questions concerning previous medical history and medications

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.82 (0.68–0.97)* ^P = 0.02

0.75 (0.61–0.91)* ^P = 0.00

Physician

1.20 (1.03–1.39)* ^P = 0.02

1.15 (0.98–1.34) ^P = 0.09

9: Gives relevant advice on self-care

GP

1

1

Nurse

1.17 (0.91–1.52) ^P = 0.22

0.93 (0.71–1.22) ^P = 0.60

Physician

1.41 (1.13–1.78)* ^P = 0.00

1.30 (1.03–1.64)* ^P = 0.03

10: Gives relevant advice on safety netting

GP

1

1

Nurse

0.85 (0.67–1.08) ^P = 0.20

0.75 (0.58–0.97)* ^P = 0.03

Physician

1.01 (0.82–1.24) ^P = 0.93

0.98 (0.79–1.20) ^P = 0.81