The delivery of health care is shifting from inpatient to ambulatory settings and, more often, nurses are finding themselves faced with having to perform telephone triage. Establishing comptency in telephone triage is particularly important when dealing with patients with otorhinolaryngology (ORL) issues. This guide provides how-to tips for telephone assessmemt, communication, and documentation specifically for nurses treating patients with ORL problems. Chapters feature telephone guidelines and protocols that are based on common symptoms reported by patients with ORL issues. You can use this book to help formalize telephone nursing practices as well as improve telephone communications, perform nursing assessments over the phone, and develop telephone protocols specific to the patient with ORL issues. The next time that a patient calls with ORL problems or symptoms, you"ll be glad you have this reference to serve as your guide to one of the most challenging patient populations that you will treat.