Nurse First
Care Process & Redesign
Technology
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
National Healthcare Group
8 December 2025
This study reports the impact of NurseFirst on unnecessary ED visits through factors such as callers' intended site of care. As NurseFirst expands nationally, it needs to find a sustainable collection of more data required for efficacy in right-siting callers.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 08 December 2025
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Technology, Workflow Redesign, Access To Care
About this Content
Aims
This study reports the impact of NurseFirst on unnecessary ED visits through factors such as callers' intended site of care before calling NurseFirst and the proportion of callers disposed to ED vs non-ED sites.
Background
In Singapore, care is often too accessible and its networks are fragmented. Non-emergency calls inundate its emergency medical services hotline, contributing to the call load daily. In the Emergency Department, non-emergencies cases account for a significant portion of attendances.
Methods
The pilot uses a triage application from FoneMed, with Schmitt & Thompson protocols and localized dispositions. NurseFirst is staffed by nurses trained in triage. Basic identifiers, intended care sites before calling, chief complaint(s), and recommended disposition sites are gathered from the triage calls.
Results
In 2024, NurseFirst saw 40% of its triage calls disposed to ED. Nearly 60% of the callers were unsure which suitable care site to go to but are conscious of using the right site. Early response to the new initiative has been promising, especially during the Omicron surge.
Conclusion
As NurseFirst expands nationally, it needs to find a sustainable collection of more data required for efficacy in right-siting callers. It will also need to continue to seek alternatives to EDs, such as more UCCs, or community resources.
Lessons Learnt
There were challenges in tracing the actual disposition of the callers, since most sites did not share a common electronic health record. NurseFirst had to make follow-up calls to the callers themselves.
Keywords
Triage, Emergency Department, Hotline
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | National Healthcare Group |
Organization(s) Involved | Woodlands Health |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Healthcare Administration, Medical, Nursing |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Healthcare Administrators, Operations, Medical, Emergency Medicine, Nursing |
Project Lead(s) | Nicholas Ng |
Project Member(s) | Jade Kua |
Connect with this contributor!
Joanna Low - Joanna_ms_low@wh.com.sg