Table 1.
Characteristics of Calls to the NSW Healthdirect Helpline January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2012: All Healthdirect Calls, Calls with Dispositions to Attend an ED Immediately, and Calls with “Low‐Urgency” Dispositions
| All Healthdirect Calls (%) | Attend ED Immediately Dispositions (%) | Low‐Urgency Dispositions (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient age | |||
| 0–4 years | 357,690 (34.34) | 50,882 (32.87) | 160,334 (52.09) |
| 5–9 years | 73,004 (7.01) | 13,995 (9.04) | 25,239 (8.20) |
| 10–14 years | 35,715 (3.43) | 8,409 (5.43) | 10,187 (3.31) |
| 15–17 years | 22,398 (2.15) | 4,187 (2.70) | 4,151 (1.35) |
| 18–34 years | 225,521 (21.65) | 34,186 (22.09) | 41,665 (13.54) |
| 35–44 years | 108,743 (10.44) | 14,239 (9.20) | 19,764 (6.42) |
| 45–54 years | 71,665 (6.88) | 9,756 (6.30) | 14,269 (4.64) |
| 55–64 years | 58,165 (5.58) | 7,506 (4.85) | 12,695 (4.12) |
| 65–74 years | 44,401 (4.26) | 5,769 (3.73) | 9,765 (3.17) |
| 75+ years | 44,447 (4.27) | 5,859 (3.79) | 9,756 (3.17) |
| Sex | |||
| Females | 619,422 (59.46) | 87,978 (56.84) | 171,813 (55.82) |
| Males | 422,327 (40.54) | 66,810 (43.16) | 136,012 (44.18) |
| Caller relationship to patient | |||
| Self | 471,249 (45.24) | 61,367 (39.65) | 94,787 (30.79) |
| Parent | 466,850 (44.81) | 74,101 (47.87) | 190,465 (61.87) |
| Carer | 4,117 (0.40) | 519 (0.34) | 1,486 (0.48) |
| Child | 17,903 (1.72) | 3,080 (1.99) | 2,784 (0.90) |
| Spouse, partner | 41,335 (3.97) | 8,369 (5.41) | 6,274 (2.04) |
| Grandparent | 6,966 (0.67) | 1,134 (0.73) | 2,729 (0.89) |
| Grandchild | 863 (0.08) | 153 (0.10) | 136 (0.04) |
| Other | 15,911 (1.53) | 3,332 (2.15) | 3,896 (1.27) |
| Unknown | 16,555 (1.59) | 2,733 (1.77) | 5,268 (1.71) |
| Triage staff and call time | |||
| Nurse in‐hours | 258,251 (24.79) | 30,373 (19.62) | 80,073 (26.01) |
| Nurse after‐hours | 687,898 (66.03) | 103,045 (66.57) | 219,293 (71.23) |
| GP after‐hours | 95,600 (9.18) | 21,370 (13.81) | 8,484 (2.76) |
| Original intention | |||
| Call 000 | 23,473 (2.25) | 5,772 (3.73) | 3,385 (1.10) |
| Attend ED | 193,022 (18.53) | 51,376 (33.19) | 44,611 (14.49) |
| Contact Doctor | 260,760 (25.03) | 28,097 (18.15) | 80,045 (26.00) |
| Home, self‐care | 132,919 (12.76) | 18,562 (11.99) | 51,658 (16.78) |
| Did not know what to do | 294,856 (28.30) | 42,744 (27.61) | 97,429 (31.65) |
| Nonprofessional advice | 7,452 (0.72) | 956 (0.62) | 3,282 (1.07) |
| Missing intention | 129,267 (12.41) | 7,281 (4.70) | 27,415 (8.91) |
| Healthdirect calls in past 6 months | |||
| 0 calls | 783,354 (75.20) | 121,630 (78.58) | 217,072 (70.52) |
| 1 call | 143,602 (13.78) | 19,613 (12.67) | 48,211 (15.66) |
| 2–3 calls | 70,662 (6.78) | 8,799 (5.68) | 26,575 (8.63) |
| 4–9 calls | 29,172 (2.80) | 3,213 (2.08) | 11,227 (3.65) |
| 10–19 calls | 6,967 (0.67) | 729 (0.47) | 2,338 (0.76) |
| 20 or more calls | 7,992 (0.77) | 804 (0.52) | 2,402 (0.78) |
| SEIFA | |||
| Quintile 1 (lower SES) | 157,417 (15.11) | 25,184 (16.27) | 44,525 (14.46) |
| Quintile 2 | 191,077 (18.34) | 29,895 (19.31) | 51,329 (16.67) |
| Quintile 3 | 289,133 (27.75) | 42,478 (27.44) | 78,545 (25.52) |
| Quintile 4 | 198,628 (19.07) | 28,170 (18.20) | 62,730 (20.38) |
| Quintile 5 (higher SES) | 205,494 (19.73) | 29,061 (18.77) | 70,696 (22.97) |
| Remoteness | |||
| Major city | 780,361 (74.91) | 112,078 (72.41) | 237,506 (77.16) |
| Inner regional | 210,488 (20.21) | 34,562 (22.33) | 56,394 (18.32) |
| Outer regional | 48,591 (4.66) | 7,831 (5.06) | 13,234 (4.30) |
| Remote or very remote | 2,309 (0.22) | 317 (0.20) | 691 (0.22) |
| Disposition (nurse or GP) | |||
| Activate 000 | 37,365 (3.59) | ||
| Attend ED immediately | 154,788 (14.86) | 154,788 (100) | |
| See doctor immediately | 96,747 (9.29) | ||
| See doctor within 4 hours | 125,729 (12.07) | ||
| See doctor within 24 hours, self‐care | 201,866 (19.38) | ||
| See doctor within 72 hours/2 weeks | 53,012 (5.09) | 53,012 (17.22) | |
| Self‐care only | 238,627 (22.91) | 238,627 (77.52) | |
| See mental health immediately/ within 4 hours | 1,631 (0.16) | ||
| Call Poisons Information Centre immediately | 11,922 (1.14) | ||
| See other provider within 24 hours, self‐care | 39,491 (3.79) | ||
| See other provider within 72 hours/2 weeks | 14,806 (1.42) | 14,806 (4.81) | |
| See dentist in 4 hours/24 hours | 2,893 (0.28) | ||
| See dentist in 72 hours/2 weeks/ when available | 1,380 (0.13) | 1,380 (0.45) | |
| Call terminated before completion | 33,197 (3.19) | ||
| Unknown disposition, missing, not applicable | 28,295 (2.73) | ||
| Clinical guideline groups | |||
| Skin, wounds, exposure to external agents | 128,285 (12.31) | 16,327 (10.55) | 44,519 (14.46) |
| Respiratory symptoms | 77,267 (7.42) | 18,573 (12.00) | 17,989 (5.84) |
| Head, neck, face symptoms | 100,147 (9.61) | 17,519 (11.32) | 31,149 (10.12) |
| Limb symptoms | 46,320 (4.45) | 8,980 (5.80) | 7,818 (2.54) |
| Neurological, headache, seizure | 49,592 (4.76) | 9,220 (5.96) | 5,997 (1.95) |
| Abdominal, pelvic, back symptoms | 58,272 (5.59) | 17,660 (11.41) | 8,579 (2.79) |
| Fever, cold/flu, other infectious disease | 90,552 (8.69) | 8,972 (5.80) | 39,001 (12.67) |
| Chest pain, irregular heartbeat, hypertension | 39,900 (3.83) | 9,779 (6.32) | 4,847 (1.57) |
| Bleeding, immunity, immune response | 46,832 (4.50) | 5,878 (3.80) | 13,255 (4.31) |
| GI, reproductive system, urinary system | 80,293 (7.71) | 8,240 (5.32) | 29,778 (9.67) |
| Pregnancy and neonate specific | 46,347 (4.45) | 10,780 (6.96) | 8,825 (2.87) |
| Mental health, other symptoms | 101,492 (9.74) | 19,190 (12.40) | 43,368 (14.09) |
| Seen provider earlier, general healthdirect | 176,450 (16.94) | 3,670 (2.37) | 52,700 (17.12) |
| Total calls by group | 1,041,749 (100) | 154,788 (100) | 307,825 (100) |
SEIFA, socio‐economic indexes for areas; SES, socioeconomic status.