During telephone triage, you must:

• A. Diagnose and prescribe medication over the phone without assessment
• B. Ignore the patient's concerns if they seem minor
• C. Refer all calls directly to emergency services without evaluation
• D. Accurately assess the patient's symptoms and provide appropriate guidance

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the role of telephone triage in healthcare, which involves assessing a patient's symptoms remotely to determine the appropriate course of action.
2. Step 2: Recognize that diagnosing and prescribing medication over the phone without proper assessment is not appropriate or safe, as it requires a thorough understanding of the patient's condition.
3. Step 3: Avoid dismissing a patient's concerns, even if they seem minor, as every symptom could potentially indicate a more serious underlying issue.
4. Step 4: Learn that referring all calls directly to emergency services without evaluation is not efficient or helpful, as many cases can be managed with proper guidance and do not require emergency intervention.
5. Step 5: Focus on accurately assessing the patient's symptoms by asking detailed questions, listening carefully, and providing appropriate guidance or referrals based on the information gathered.