Free Nurse Triage Resources

& System Components

Protocols, Clinical Content,

Audiolinks to Case Studies with Tutorials

Please Note: Terminology related to the emerging field of pre-hospital triage is still evolving. Currently, nurse triage appears to be the most inclusive and appropriate term, encompassing telephone triage, clinical call centers, pre-hospital, virtual and/or telehealth settings. Thus, terms like advice nurse, appointment nurse and phone triage seem less useful.

This collection of resources present an overview of nurse triage subspecialty — its evolution, protocols and guidelines, technology’s impact on triage safety, risk reduction strategies, clinician qualifications, and guideline limitations — along with the need for improved documentation and disposition clarity.

Ms. Wheeler includes the following resources as a 40-year legacy — a historical, electronic “paper trail” — and evidence of continuity of her work. You will note that as field evolved so did the terminology telephone triage, telelealth, telemedicine, remote triage, virtual triage and so on. Correspondingly, Wheeler’s unique terms, from nursing process to nurse triage process, protocols to guidelines, unique assessment acronyms have evolved as well.

Collectively, Ms. Wheeler addresses current risk management issues resulting in to malpractice cases: system error, common practice error, inadequate nurse triage standards or clinical training — covering a range of remote and face-to-face settings. A few links are not yet live. Please stay tuned.

Clinical Resources

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

  2. Triage Risk Management 3 (2020-2026) (Pending) Research, Standards, Case studies(PDF-954KB)  

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

  4.  Safety of Clinicians and Non-Clinicians Performing Triage. (2015) Narrative review of clinicians” and non-clinicians’ triage practice and safety. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare: (PDF-186KB)

  5. Triage Risk Management 1 (2005) Triage trends, risks, controversies & case studies. (PDF-1MB)

  6. Triage Risk Management 2  (2006) Experts discuss nurse triage risks & solutions. (PDF-800KB)

  7.  Triage Articles & Research (2000-2020) Archival Triage topics by Wheeler. (PDF-28.2 MB)

    Malpractice Case Studies & Tutorials

  8. 10 + Case Studies (1993) (Delmar-Thompson), Re-enacted Adult & Pediatric Malpractice Cases (MP3-11.8 MB)

  9. 10 + Case Studies (2009) (McGraw Hill) Re-enacted Adult & Pediatric Malpractice Cases (MP3-6.3 MB)

    Slide Decks of Triage Topics

    A set of four slide decks provide an overview of key issues in the emerging subspecialty of nurse triage. Collectively, the slides address current risk management issues, system error, common practice error leading to malpractice, nurse triage standards and clinical training for triage.

  10. Nurse Triage: Creating a Culture of Safety (2020) Risk Management (PDF-372 KB)

  11. Triage Protocols for High Risk Populations (2019) Protocol Design, Bhopal India (PDF-241 KB)

  12. To Err is Human, To Delay is Deadly (2012 - 2025) Risk Management. case studies (PDF-372 KB)

  13. Essentials for Expert Practice (2016 - 2025) (Pending) Slides for updated “How To” article

    Historical: Nurse Triage Training Manual

    Telephone Triage: Theory, Practice & Protocol  (1993) First “How to” for Nurse Triage. (PDF-62.5 MB)

    Nurse Triage Protocols & Guidelines

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

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

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

Updates for Triage Components, Protocols & Sample Standards (2025-2026)

  1. Workflow Process (2025) Triage process based on Nursing Process (PDF-2.3 MB)

  2.  Triage Documentation Form (2025-2026) (PDF-692 KB)

  3. QA AUDIT (2025-2026) QA of Nurse Triage Process, Communication, Continuity (PDF-147 KB)

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

  5.  Triage Job -Qualifications, -Description & -Competencies (2025-2026) (PDF-781 KB)

  6. Care for Caregivers (2025):  Stress Reduction, Self Care, Job Satisfaction (2025) (PDF-66 KB)

  7. Triage-Specific Phone Tree (2025) Avoid “Triage Call Volume Overload” (PDF-35 KB)

  8. Patient Brochure: Triage Services (2025) “How to Help the Triage Nurse Help You” (PDF-72 KB)

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

TeleTriage Systems Copyright Statement

Copyright 1993 -2026 Sheila Quilter Wheeler, TeleTriage Systems Publishers.  All Rights Reserved.  All materials are protected by copyright.  No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of Sheila Wheeler, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For problems receiving free materials, or permissions, contact Ms. Wheeler by phone 415 453 8382

Rather Buy Bound Nurse Triage Protocols/Guidelines? Purchase the complete set for under $50.

Free audio links for 20+ malpractice case studies with tutorials.

Nurse Triage —

A Still-Emerging & Under-Researched Subspecialty

Although nurse triage has been practiced since the 1970’s, it still seems unrecognized and its growth as a subspecialty has been uneven. The lack of timely, quality research inhibits professional development. This research gap might be related to external challenges of conflicting needs and values of the professional, regulatory, and marketplace. The internal challenge of systematically examining a rapidly changing, ubiquitous, multi-faceted, and controversial nursing subspecialty appears somewhat neglected - perhaps overshadowed by more exciting and rapid-paced technological developments - often still unproven.

Nurse triage has historically been a complex subspecialty — historically at the center of competing forces of cost containment and patient safe, timely access. (Wheeler, ( 2015). For example, some studies have commingled both terminology and clinical and non-clinical practitioners, and focused on patient perceptions (satisfaction. we have little substantive clinical consensus on standards for safe outcomes.

The safety of patient, nurse and institutions has been a primary focus for 40 years Ms. Wheeler, who has with other experts — 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 on 35 nurse triage malpractice cases related to recurrent triage error. (Wheeler, 1995-2023)