Free Nurse Triage Resources & System Components

Training Materials, Guidelines, Documentation, Standards, Tools

Training: Clinical Articles

  1. Essentials for Expert Nurse Triage. Part One. (2025) (PDF-505KB)  Basic “How To” Course for Nurse Triage

  2. Triage Risk Management 3 (2020-2026) In Process Updated Research, Standards, 20+ actual Case studies )(PDF-954KB)  

  3. Triage Guideline Competency (2017)  Unique User’s Guide for Nurse Triage Guidelines (PDF-6.6MB) 

  4.  Safety of Clinicians and Non-Clinicians Performing Triage. (2015) Narrative review of pre-hospital triage safety, comparing clinicians and non-clinicians their triage systems Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare: (PDF-186KB)

  5.  Triage Risk Management 1 (2005) Early telephone triage trends, risks and controversies. Actual malpractice case studies illustrate legal principles and risk management tools for triage. (PDF-1MB)

  6. Triage Risk Management 2  (2006) An interview with two  legal  experts about  legal risks and potential solutions in the developing subspecialty of nurse triage. (PDF-800KB)

  7.  Triage Articles & Research (2000-2020) S.Q. Wheeler Relevant archival Triage topics in one folder. (PDF-28.2 MB)

    Audiolinks to Triage Malpractice Case Studies with Tutorials

  8. 10 + Case Studies (1993) based on actual triage malpractice cases with Tutorials (Delmar-Thompson), (MP3-11.8 MB)

  9. 10 + Case Studies (2009) based on actual triage malpractice cases with Tutorials. (McGraw Hill) (MP3-6.3 MB)

    Slides on Triage Topics

  1. Triage Guidelines

  2. Adult, Geriatric & Womens’ Health Triage Guidelines (2017) (PDF-215.8 MB)

  3. School Age Children, Age Six to 18 Years, Triage Guidelines (2017) (PDF-62.7 MB)

  4. Infants and Children Age Birth to Six Years, Triage Guidelines. (2005) (PDF-36 MB)

Historical: Triage Training Manual

13. Telephone Triage: Theory, Practice and Protocol Development (1993) The first and only training manual for Nurse Triage for Ambulatory Settings. Sheila Quilter Wheeler, Judith Windt,  (PDF-62.5 MB)

Copyright 1993 -2026 Sheila Quilter Wheeler, TeleTriage Systems Publishers.  All Rights Reserved

Revised Nurse Triage Tools & Standards (2025-2026)

  1.  QA AUDIT (2025-2026) Audit to evaluate performance of nursing process, communication, documentation & continuity

  2. Two Kinds of Assessment — Focused & Functional  (2025-2026)

  3.  Triage Rules of Thumb (2025-2026) (PDF-182KB). Heuristics for Triage

  4. Workflow Process (2025) Triage process based on Nursing Process

  5.  Triage Documentation Form (2025-2026) with suggested EMR/EHR Enhancements

  6. Professional Standards Nurse Triage (2025-2026) Job -Qualifications, -Description & Competencies

  7. Nurse Triage-Specific Phone Tree (2025)

  8. Patient Brochure for Triage Systems (2025) “How to Help the Triage Nurse Help You”

  9. Triage Nurse Care for the Caregiver (2025):  Stress Reduction, Self Care, Job Satisfaction (2025)

 Copyright 1993 -2026 Sheila Quilter Wheeler, TeleTriage Systems Publishers.  All Rights Reserved

The Under-Researched, Still-Emerging Nurse Triage Subspecialty

Although nurse triage has been practiced since the 1980’s, its growth as a specialty has been uneven. The lack of timely, quality research inhibits professional development. This trial research gap might be related to the challenge of systematically examining a rapidly changing, ubiquitous, multi-faceted, and controversial nursing subspecialty.

Nurse triage has historically been a complex subspecialty — historically at the center of competing commercial, professional and institutional interests focused on patient safe, timely access. (Wheeler, ( 2015). Historically, some researchers have failed to focus on access. Some studies have commingled terminology as well as practitioners (non-clinicians with clinicians). Finally, we have no consensus on standards for safe nurse triage outcomes.

The safety of patient, nurse and institutions has been a primary goal for TeleTriage Systems. Ms. Wheeler —with other experts — has made every effort to utilize the highest quality nurse triage research, practice standards and expert opinion as listed below:

  • Nurse triage decision-making research (Lephrohon, Patel, 1995)

  • Standards from Emergency Medical Dispatch (Clawson), (AAACN, 2018) and ACEP.

  • Risk management (Mahlmeister)

  • Practice and system standards ( Smith-Marker, Donabedian)

  • Research on recurrent error (Gawande)

  • Expert witness o 35 nurse triage malpractice cases related to recurrent triage error. (Wheeler, 1995-2023)