| Sumario: | Significance & Background: Oral health issues, such as mucositis, xerostomia, infections, and jaw pain, are common among cancer patients and can significantly delay treatment if not addressed promptly. At a large National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, nurses and dental hygienists are often the first to encounter these concerns. Despite their impact, no standardized triage tool exists for oral issues. This gap contributes to inconsistent assessments, underscoring the need for a dedicated oral health triage tool. Purpose: Develop a tool to support comprehensive oral health assessment to aid in prompt identification of oral issues and determine appropriate patient care. Interventions: Due to limited appointment availability, oral medicine began triaging referrals to prioritize urgent cases. This process was later expanded to include patients calling with acute oral symptoms, underscoring the need for a consistent way to assess urgency. Building on the cancer center's existing telephone triage guidelines, oral medicine partnered with nurse education to develop a triage tool tailored to the assessment of oral issues. The creation of this tool involved collaboration between subject matter experts from oral medicine, medical providers, and medical nutrition. Content was derived from the American Dental Association (ADA), NCI, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Results: Upon approval by the Clinic Nurse Practice Committee, the document was added to an organization-wide Telephone Triage policy and disseminated across multiple disease groups. Using this triage tool as a reference, the oral medicine team created a standardized electronic template to aid documentation. Clinical staff responded positively when presented with the triage tool and reported greater confidence when performing triage of oral issues. Baseline assessment, structured triage, and ongoing oral health monitoring are essential for minimizing pain, promoting treatment adherence, and preventing chronic complications in oncology patients. Discussion: Integrating oral health assessment into routine oncology workflows reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and promotes a more holistic approach to cancer care. The development of triage tools has promoted standardization of triage practice among clinical staff. By equipping staff with clear, evidence-based guidance, these triage tools enhance early identification and management of complications, support treatment continuity, and improve patient outcomes.
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