BACKGROUND: In this Occupational Health Department (OHD), a 'telephone first' approach was introduced to triage management referrals with potential to convert to Telephone Independent Medical Assessment (TIMA). Telephone consultation has been widely used in the UK's NHS in the occupational health setting. AIMS: To evaluate TIMA effectiveness and efficiency of OHD resources; comparing the outcome of a triage call compared to previous default allocation of next available appointment, percentage of...