This paper explains that the position of the telephone
triage nurse, by solving problems such as same-day appointment overload in general practice and discussing immediately problems with a health care professional, fills the
initiator role, which lays the foundation of care to be provided. The author points out that, without well-defined
communication skills, the nurse cannot establish therapeutic relations with the patient;
interpreters of languages within the service community assist the triage nurse. The paper states that handling stress is an inherent part of the telephone triage nurse's duties because providing adequate
assessments in a reasonable amount of time is challenging, given there's always another caller waiting who may have more serious health issues than the current person on the phone.