ESR 4: Evaluating new triage protocols for senior citizens who seek unplanned care

Early Stage Resarcher 4 - Farah Islam - KU Leuven, Leuven

Evaluating new triage protocols for senior citizens who seek unplanned care

Project update:
Within the scope of the broader TRANS-SENIOR programme, to investigate when and where care transitions are unnecessary and avoidable, the current research seeks to better understand and attain effective and efficient telephone triage transfers in older populations seeking unplanned care. The diagram below presents a full overview of our planned objectives. Currently the work on the review of the literature (objective 1) is about to be completed.

Project leader:
Prof. Dr. Koen Milisen, Prof. Dr. Marc Sabbe
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Belgium

Objective of the project:
1) To evaluate the appropriateness of referrals in senior citizens (75 and over) seeking unplanned care and to 2) evaluate triage protocols for these referrals.

Expected results:

• Evidence on characteristics of senior citizens seeking unplanned care
• Evidence on potentially avoidable care transitions (prevalence, decision making) after seeking unplanned care
• Evidence on the appropriateness of new triage protocols for senior citizens seeking unplanned care
• Improved and validated generic triage protocols, with a discussion of potential system and country specific context factors for decision making.

Secondments:

• Academic secondment & Joint degree university:
  Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland.
  Supervisor: Dr. Christophe Sowada.
• Non-academic secondment:
  Landsbond der Christelijke Mutualiteiten (Alliance of Christian Sickness Funds), Brussels, Belgium.
  Supervisor: Luc Van Gorp