Evaluation of how registered nurses employed in Tele-Triage services across Australia perceive their nurse–client–family relationship

Background and Purpose: Australia’s Tele-Triage service, Health Direct, provides Tele-Triage Nurse assessment of urgent healthcare requests. Tele-Triage Nurses support all Australian families with accessible, free triage assessment and health information at the time of need and referral to appropriate care pathways. Tele-Triage Nurses engage directly with the person experiencing the health concern and/or family members. The national nurse-led service providing equitable healthcare access to all Australian families is a strength of the Australian nursing profession's engagement with families seeking healthcare support.Our study measured how Tele-Triage Nurses perceive their relationship with the client and family. Understanding Tele-Triage Nurse’s perception of their relationships may help strengthen family engagement during Tele-Triage Nursing calls. This research study is the first Australian study to explore the Tele-Triage nurse–client-family relationship. Methods: In 2023-2024 a national cross-sectional cohort survey invited Tele-Triage Nurses providing Tele-Triage services through Health Direct across Australia to complete an anonymous survey containing eight demographics, 35-item Nurse Professional Competence Scale, 9-item Family Involvement in Care-Nurses' Perceptions of Outcomes Scale, and four open-ended questions. Results: Content analysis of open-ended questions guided by the Bioecological Model of Human Development identified two strategies informing Tele-Triage Nurse’s engagement with families: active listening and respecting family values and beliefs. Challenges Tele-Triage Nurse’s experience during the consultation include abuse from family members and language barrier. Descriptive quantitative results describing the characteristics of Tele-Triage Nurses relationship with the client and family will be presented. Conclusions and Implications: Tele-Triage Nurses active listening, curious compassionate questioning and listening, and demonstrating empathy over tele-triage consultation facilitate client and family engagement during the brief time of tele consultation. Key Performance Indicators evaluating Tele-Triage Nursing services should include adequate call timings to help create the context that empowers the key outcome of family and client engagement in Tele-Triage Nursing care.