Pediatric Telephone Protocols: Office Version »

Schmitt, Barton D., MD (Univ of Colorado)

Intended for use during office hours, this reference provides 100 protocols for the telephone triage of common pediatric symptoms. Each protocol lists the questions to ask callers when evaluating the urgency of their problem, shows how to differentiate cases requiring emergency intervention from those better addressed through an office visit or home care, and recommends first aid instructions for parents. The plastic spiral binding allows the book to lie flat. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Glen Tamura

This book provides practical protocols dealing with a number of the most common pediatric problems, focusing on appropriate triage and home care. It has been revised on a yearly basis. Nurses and other healthcare professionals often need practical advice on how to deal with common clinical scenarios. This book provides protocols which prompt the user to ask specific questions and then gives specific dispositions as well as home care advice. These protocols meet the goals of the book admirably. The practical advice given is extremely useful to office nurses, practicing physicians, and physicians in training. The protocols require clinical judgment on the part of the user and it would not be appropriate to allow an inexperienced practitioner who has not developed clinical judgment to use this book to make triage decisions. The protocols cover a broad range of issues commonly presented to primary pediatric care practitioners. The topics included would cover the vast majority of telephone calls to pediatric offices. Both the triage protocols and home care advice are very practical. No other book in the field provides similar practical advice. I would recommend it highly for the bookshelf of all primary care pediatric offices. The author is a well-known expert on pediatric telephone triage and advice protocols.

Alphabetical Listing

Abdominal Pain
Anaphylaxis (Severe Allergic Reaction)
Asthma Attack
Athlete's Foot
Back Pain
Bee or Yellow Jacket Sting
Bite, Animal or Human
Bottle—(Formula) Feeding Questions
Breastfeeding Questions
Breath-Holding Spell
Breathing Difficulty, Severe (Respiratory Distress)
Burns
Chest Pain
Chickenpox
Choking (Inhaled Foreign Body)
Cold Symptoms: Protocol Selection
Colds
Confusion (Delirium)
Constipation
Cough
Croup
Crying Baby <3 Months Old (Includes Colic)
Crying Child >3 Months Old (Irritability, Fussiness)
Dehydration
Diaper Rash
Diarrhea
Ear
—Congestion
—Discharge
—Earache (Ear Pain)
—Foreign Body in
—Pulling at or Itchy
—Swimmer's (Otitis Externa)
Eye
—Allergy
—Chemical in
—Foreign Body in
—Red (Without Pus) (Viral Conjunctivitis)
—With Pus (Bacterial Conjunctivitis)
Failure to Improve on Antibiotics
Fainting
Fever
Fifth Disease (Erythema Infectiosum)
Fluid Intake, Decreased (Dehydration)
Frostbite and Cold Injuries
Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease
Hay Fever (Allergic Rhinitis)
Headache
Head Trauma
Heat Injuries
Hives (Urticaria)
Immunization Reactions
Impetigo (Infected Sores)
Infection Exposure (Contagious Periods and Incubation Periods)
Influenza
Ingestion
Insect Bites
Jaundiced Newborn
Lice (Pediculosis)
Limb Pain
Lymph Nodes, Swollen
Menstrual Cramps
Mouth Ulcers (Canker Sores)
Neck Pain or Stiffness
Newborn Appearane: Questions
NewbornRashes and Birthmarks
Nose, Foreign Body in
Nosebleed
Pinworms
Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac
Poisoning (Ingestion)
Puncture Wound
Rashes, Localized and Cause Unknown
Rashes, Widespread and Cause Unknown
Rashes, Widespread While on Drugs
Respiratory Distress
Ringworm
Scarlet Fever
Scrotum or Groin Swelling/Pain
Seizure With Fever (Febrile Seizure)
Seizure Without Fever (Afebrile Seizure)
Sinus Pain or Congestion
Sliver or Splinter
Sore Throat (Pharyngitis)
Spells: Protocol Selection
Spider Bite
Spitting Up (Reflux)
Stools (Blood in)
Strep Exposure (Strep Contacts)
Sunburn
Suture Questions
Swallowed (Ingested) Foreign Body
Tear Duct, Blocked
Teething
Thrush
Tick Bite
Toothache
Trauma
—Bone, Ligament, and Muscle
—Ear
—Eye
—Finger and Toe
—Genital
—Head
—Mouth
—Nose
—Skin (Bruises, Cuts, Scrapes)
—Sprains and Strains
—Tooth
Umbilical Cord Symptoms
Urination, Pain With (Dysuria)
Vaginal Itching or Irritation
Vomiting
Weakness
Wheezing
Wound Infection

Appendix
User's Guide for the Telephone Triager
Quality Assurance Checklist
Nonprescription (OTC) Medication Questions
OTC Medication Dosage Tables
Prescription Medication Questions