telephone triage
n. A service that offers medical advice over the telephone.
Examples
1999
Patients can phone in for "telephone triage" 24 hours a day, seven days a week, helping to ease the pressure on local emergency wards.
—John Ibbitson, “'Rostering' would ease strain on hospitals,” The Globe and Mail, October 28, 1999
1999
The college further commended Health Minister Wyatt Creech on his proposal to introduce of a computer-backed telephone triage system. …

Research undertaken when the service had been staffed by registered nurses with prior clinical experience and training showed it was safe and effective.
—“Plunket helpline decision welcomed,” The Evening Standard (Palmerston North), May 07, 1999
1987 (earliest)
But while a number of physicians have urged the department to consider such criteria, some in the medical community also caution against the potential hazards of "telephone triage," the risk that the caller turned away as not serious enough for a dispatch may be the next coroner's statistic.
—Kim Murphy, “Paramedic dispatch rule — sick, injured pay price,” Los Angeles Times, April 27, 1987
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