Calls to a new Saskatchewan health phone-in service are coming in at a rate that, if it continues, will result in more than 100,000 calls a year.
The HealthLine has only been in service since Aug. 1, but 300 people a day are already using it.
Based in Regina and operated by the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, HealthLine is a toll-free number provincial residents can call 24 hours a day to obtain timely health advice.
For example, said operations manager Michele Vogt, during August a lot of the calls were about insect bites like wasp stings and concerns about West Nile disease.
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The registered nurses who answer the calls refer the callers to doctors or health services like the poison control centre or the drug information line.
Vogt said they follow a protocol to go through symptoms.
“Then we identify if they need attention and give them a time frame,” she explained.
The nurses may advise the callers to seek medical attention immediately, or within 72 hours, for example.
Callers sometimes have to wait to speak to a nurse, given the high volume of calls.
However, if they are unable to wait on hold, they can leave a message and receive a call back later.
“Obviously, we want people to be able to speak to a live nurse right away,” Vogt said.
That is critical if the caller really should have dialed 911.
During the first month HealthLine was in operation, nurses considered nine percent of the calls emergencies.
Seven nurses staff the line during the day, five during the evening and two at night. The line employs 35 people.
Vogt said 70 percent of the calls are coming from urban centres and 30 percent from rural areas.
The HealthLine number is 877-800-0002. Multilingual translation is available, as well as an option for the hearing impaired. People with speech or hearing problems should call 888-425-4444. All calls are confidential.
