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Nurse Triage Lines Support
ORISE contributes to CDC Public Health Policy Competition win
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Influenza Coordination Unit (ICU) recently won the 2012 Annual Public Health Policy Competition for a proposal to explore the use of nurse triage lines during an influenza pandemic. As a key partner, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) provided critical coordination, research, development of educational materials, and consultation to support the project, which has been underway since September 2011.
The project is exploring the use of nurse triage lines as a promising method for reducing disparities in access to quality health care during an influenza pandemic. Nurse triage lines are used daily in the United States for routine patient care and can be used during emergency response as an alternative to face-to-face visits, for those with mild illness or those seeking information. By reducing the burden on health care resources, nurse triage lines allow health care providers to focus on those with severe symptoms and provide care that is both more timely and cost-effective.
Following a successful stakeholder meeting in March 2012, the CDC project lead praised the ORISE team for “exemplary and consistently excellent support, contributions, and materials which substantially contributed to the success of the recent meeting and this ongoing effort.”
ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.