How to make the most of 811

This is part of a series from CBC's Information Morning where Halifax health-care consultant Mary Jane Hampton discusses her "health hacks" — ways to make your experience with the health-care system better.

With so many challenges in health-care these days — from a dearth of family doctors to long waits in emergency rooms — 811 can play an important role in providing vital medical help and advice, saving both time and worry.

Nova Scotia health-care consultant Mary Jane Hampton recommends the health-advice phone line, one of the least celebrated aspects of the health system.

"It's staffed by registered nurses who have at least five years experience," Hampton said. "And there is a whole medical advisory system behind them that builds algorithms. You can explain to the nurse on the phone what health concern you have and they'll take you through a series of questions and guide you to the best advice on how to manage the issue."

The line was launched almost a decade ago, and Hampton said it can be a key element to managing one's own health.

"Here's my theory: In this time that it is so challenging for patients to navigate the system, I think that as patients we need to become smart in using every possible tool that we have available to us, and understanding how 811 might actually be a solution."

Hampton points out while the service isn't for emergencies, about four percent of 811 calls are immediately transferred to 911, poison control or a mental-health crisis line.

It's a service to call if you're experiencing symptoms and you're just not sure if it's something that you should be concerned about, if you should be making an appointment to see a family doctor or go to a walk-in clinic.

"The typical things that people call in about are chest pain or abdominal pain," said Hampton. "A lot of calls are about babies not feeling well or children with coughs and fevers, diarrhea, that kind of thing."

The nurses can sometimes help right away, or otherwise will take callers through a series of questions, gather information, and then call the person back. Also available is an interpretation service in 120 different languages for people where English isn't their first language.

"I don't know about you, but more often than not when a question comes up in my family about whether we need to take action on a health issue it's afterhours or on the weekend, which is totally the worst time to be thinking about trying to get an appointment with a family doctor, which may be a couple of weeks out," said Hampton.

"God forbid having to sit in the emergency department possibly only to be told that you didn't need to be there."

What some critics say about 811

Hampton said the 811 service is panned by those who assume that due to liability issues, the nurses on the line will probably just advise you to go to the emergency department, whatever the issue.

"That's actually not true," she said. "About 19 percent of calls do end up with the 811 nurse saying, 'It does sound to me like you should go to the emergency department, so head on over.'

"But, the really interesting statistics are that about 42 percent of people who call in are told that the reason that they phoned is certainly something that warrants making an appointment to see your family doctor or a nurse practitioner, but it's not an emergency.

"Here's the really neat statistic: About 30 percent of calls end up with the 811 nurse being able to give advice and information to the person about how to manage the condition themselves.

"When you consider that 42 percent of people are potentially being saved an unnecessary visit to an emergency department or walk-in clinic, and almost a third of people are being told that they don't need to go anywhere else, they can safely manage the issue — that's what makes the 811 service really powerful and that's where it becomes a really important tool in helping to navigate the system."