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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Internet-based treatment of headache: does telephone contact add anything?

OBJECTIVE: To study the contribution of therapist-initiated telephone contact in the treatment of recurrent headache via the Internet. BACKGROUND: Internet-based cognitive behavioral self-help is a promising new venue for the treatment of recurrent headache. While cost-effective, there are indications that this modality may be associated with high dropout rates. DESIGN AND METHODS: The role of therapist-initiated contact was investigated in a randomized controlled trial in which 44 self-recruited headache sufferers were randomized to either a Web-based self-help program with e-mail support or to a group receiving, in addition, weekly individual telephone calls. An additional 8 control subjects were recruited to receive similar treatment outside of the study. RESULTS: Dropout rates were 29% in the telephone support group and 35% in the control group, suggesting that the telephone calls did not affect dropout. Results showed significant reductions in headache-related disability, depression, maladaptive coping strategies, and perceived stress but little to indicate any superior performance in the Internet-only group and little improvement in the headache index. In short, therapist-initiated telephone calls did not influence the results. CONCLUSIONS: Internet-based treatment for headache is not affected by minimal therapist-initiated telephone contact.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Screening for dementia by telephone using the memory impairment screen.

OBJECTIVES: : To develop and assess telephone-based screening tests for dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). DESIGN: : A cross-sectional validation study nested within a longitudinal study of aging and dementia. SETTING: : The Einstein Aging Study of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. PARTICIPANTS: : Three hundred elderly community volunteers living in Bronx County, 27 of whom were diagnosed with dementia based on in-person clinical evaluation. Of the 27 individuals with dementia, 18 had AD. MEASUREMENTS: : A telephone battery was administered that included the Memory Impairment Screen by telephone (MIS-T, a test of semantic memory), the Category Fluency Test (CF-T), and the Telephone Instrument for Cognitive Status (TICS). An in-person evaluation then followed that included a neurological examination, a neuropsychological battery, demographics, and medical history. RESULTS: : The telephone battery was well accepted. The MIS-T required 4 minutes; the CF-T, 3 minutes; and the TICS, 10 minutes. The MIS-T had excellent sensitivity and specificity when compared with the CF-T and the TICS. Using cutscores on all three tests that provide a sensitivity of 78%, specificity was significantly higher for the MIS-T (93%) than for the CF-T (78%, P<.05) or the TICS (80%, P<.05). Combining the MIS-T and CF-T improved discriminative validity but increased screening time and the complexity of scoring. Normative data for the MIS-T, the CF-T, and the TICS for use in settings with different base rates (prevalence) of dementia are presented in this study. CONCLUSION: : The MIS-T outperforms the CF-T and the TICS as a valid and time-efficient telephone screen for dementia. For applications that require optimal efficiency and accuracy, the MIS-T is recommended.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Correlation analysis of the in-clinic and telephone batteries from the AREDS cognitive function ancillary study. AREDS Report No. 15.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the AREDS Telephone Battery can be substituted for the In-Clinic Cognitive Function Battery to assess cognitive function, so that participants could still provide follow-up information without having to come to the clinic. METHODS: Correlation analysis was performed on scores of the following in-clinic and telephone administrations: 1) Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS), conducted in person vs. Telephone Interview Cognitive Status (TICS-M); 2) Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III), Logical Memory I and II; 3) Digits Backwards (a sub-test of the WMS-R); 4) Verbal Fluency; and 5) Letter Fluency (F,A,S). RESULTS: A total of 1,738 AREDS participants completed an In-Clinic Battery and a Telephone Battery within twelve months. Significant positive correlations were found for all tests, ranging from rho = 0.89 between the 3MS and TICS-M scores (95% CI; 0.88 - 0.90), to rho = 0.71 for Letter Fluency (95% CI; 0.68 - 0.74). CONCLUSION: The linear relationships between the In-Clinic Battery and Telephone Battery scores support the hypothesis that the Telephone Battery is an appropriate substitute for participants who are unable to complete an in-clinic assessment of cognitive function.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Randomized controlled trial comparing couple satisfaction with appointment and telephone follow-up consultation after unsuccessful IVF/ICSI treatment.

Couples undergoing in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital come from a wide geographical area. Increasingly, telephone discussions after unsuccessful treatment have replaced appointments for those who do not live locally. The aim of this study was to compare patient satisfaction with telephone follow-up discussions versus clinic appointments. Couples were separated into those undergoing their first treatment cycle (100 couples) and those undergoing their second or subsequent treatment cycle (85 couples), and then randomized to either a telephone or appointment follow-up. Satisfaction was assessed by a postal questionnaire and analysis conducted on an 'intention to treat' basis. An overall response rate of 91% was achieved. Analysis indicated no statistically significant difference between telephone and appointment groups with regard to the degree of satisfaction. However, there was an association between the type of follow-up and the duration of discussion (P < 0.001): telephone follow-up discussions were significantly shorter than appointment follow-ups. There is the potential for significant savings in costs, both to the service and to patients, by providing telephone follow-up consultations. The savings may be achieved without compromising patient satisfaction as long as clinic appointments remain available as an option for those couples who prefer them.

Appointments and Schedules↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Telephone communications with several commercial respirators.

Previous work showed that telephone communications while wearing military respirators degraded both word comprehension and recognition speed. In addition, electronic amplification of the speech diaphragm signal had shown no advantage to the extra hardware. This experiment was performed to test effects of different configurations of commercially available respirators on telephone communications accuracy and speed. Twelve pairs of subjects were separated into different rooms and communicated by telephone. Modified rhyme-test words were presented by computer to the speaker, who transmitted the word by telephone to the listener. During the first replication, subjects were given no instruction about telephone communications procedure. During the second replication subjects followed a communications protocol that instructed them when to move the telephone handset from their ears to their mouths. Results showed that the protocol uniformly improved communications accuracy without incurring any extra time penalty. Word comprehension was still twice as fast without a respirator as with a respirator. Accuracy with the protocol nearly equaled the no respirator control value for most respirators tested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of telephone and postal survey modes on respiratory symptoms and risk factors.

Little is known about the comparability of postal and telephone survey modes in epidemiology. A cross-sectional, population-based study (n = 25,000) of lung disease was performed in 1998-1999 in two regions of Norway. Initial surveying was done by postal questionnaire. A 1% random sample (n = 171) of previous postal responders were resurveyed by telephone or cellular contact. The response rate was 67% on the telephone/cellular interview. Fewer incomplete answers were given by telephone than by mail. A lower prevalence was found by telephone for morning cough and exposure to passive smoking at work or home. Reproducibility was high for asthma, hay fever, wheezing, and attacks of breathlessness. Moderate reproducibility was seen for symptoms of chronic bronchitis. Reproducibility was low for indoor and work environment, although it was high for early life factors. Concordance coefficients were high for all continuous measures such as height, body weight, and pack-years. The authors conclude that the comparability between the postal and the telephone survey modes was good. The telephone survey mode gave more complete information. Survey mode may have a moderate effect on study results, depending on the specific questions asked.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Development of an interdisciplinary, telephone-based care program.

An interdisciplinary, telephone-based care program at a Veterans Affairs medical center (VAMC) is described. Patients telephoning the Oklahoma City VAMC complained that they were transferred multiple times and that they had difficulty contacting their provider between scheduled visits. Some went to the walk-in urgent care clinic with nonurgent problems. The average waiting time in the clinic exceeded three hours. An interdisciplinary, telephone-based care program was begun in 1995 to allow efficient problem resolution over the telephone; provide clinical consultations, interventions, and referrals as necessary; and reduce use of the urgent care clinic for nonurgent problems. A team consisting of a patient service representative, a pharmacist, and a nurse was established to handle calls. Policies and procedures were designed to respond appropriately to patients' problems and document the telephone "visits." The pharmacist was given practice privileges, including prescribing authority. A questionnaire indicated patient satisfaction with the new service. Mean waiting times in the urgent care clinic were reduced to less than two hours, and an estimated annual net cost avoidance of $677,671 was achieved by the program's averting unnecessary visits to the urgent care clinic. An interdisciplinary, telephone-based care program at a VAMC successfully responded to patients' concerns, improved their access to care, and conserved urgent care resources.

Drug Prescriptions↗
PubMed1990

Evaluation of the telephone advisory activity at Swedish primary health care centres.

The telephone advisory function was evaluated by interviewing 100 persons from each of five Swedish health centres one week after they had contacted the health centre for telephone advice. Altogether 497 telephone calls were registered during the study period, and 494 (99%) of those who called could be contacted. Of those who had been given advice about self-care (in all 173 pieces of advice to 98 subjects), 98% stated that they had followed the advice given. In the total series, 91% of the subjects stated that they were content with the contact with the telephone advisers. The majority of those who were not content with the contact had been recommended self-care or given an appointment time with a delay of more than one week. In 10% of the cases the telephone advisers (all of them nurses) considered that they could not give adequate advice because of lack of appointment times with the doctor. In 4% of the cases decisions were made which agreed with the subject's wishes but were not in agreement with what the nurse considered most adequate. When a suitable appointment time was available (422 calls), all but three calls were considered as handled medically correctly, and all but two cases were considered to have been referred to correct level of care. It was concluded that the nurses handled the telephone advisory service in an adequate way.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

What happened to the prescriptions? A single, short, standardized telephone call may increase compliance.

BACKGROUND: Patients' compliance with prescribed prescriptions and doctors' advice is a prerequisite for successful treatment. Compliance is estimated to be <or=50% in the treatment of hypertension. Thus, it is important to find simple methods to increase compliance. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to estimate the extent to which patients visit the pharmacy and redeem prescribed items after seeing a GP, and to assess if a phone call 1 week later improves compliance. METHODS: A total of 399 patients attending a primary health care centre receiving prescriptions were randomized to active intervention receiving a short standardized follow-up telephone call or to standard intervention receiving no telephone call. The doctors' prescriptions were later compared with the dispensed drugs at the pharmacies. RESULTS: A majority of the patients (90%) redeemed prescriptions. Women redeemed prescriptions to a greater extent than men, both in the control group (P = 0.023) and in the intervention group (P = 0.0003). A telephone call 1 week later increased the proportion of patients that redeemed their prescriptions (P = 0.023). Further analysis showed that only women were affected by the telephone call. Twenty percent of the prescriptions were drugs for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The proportion of dispensed drugs for CVD was only 66%, compared with 88% for all other drugs (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: A single, short, standardized telephone call increases women's compliance. Women also redeem prescriptions more often than men irrespective of a telephone call. The compliance and treatment of CVD are not acceptable, and seem to be lower for men than women.

Cardiovascular Agents↗
PubMed2001

The feasibility of using a telephone-administered survey for determining nutritional service needs of noninstitutionalized older adults in rural areas: time and costs.

PURPOSE: This study examined response, participation, time, and costs for a telephone-administered survey to obtain comprehensive information on general health, eating habits, living environment, and functional status from a sample of older persons in a rural North Carolina county. DESIGN AND METHODS: A probability sample of persons aged 60 years and older from the most recent electoral rolls were mailed a personalized letter, which was followed by telephone contact to recruit them into a contemporaneous survey that used a modified version of the Nutrition Screening Initiative's Level I and II screens. Time requirements and costs associated with the completion of surveys were calculated. RESULTS: Seventy-six percent of the persons contacted by telephone (residents of 96% of county precincts) completed the survey. Because minority elders were more likely to lack a working telephone, they were underrepresented in the sample. With 555 calling attempts (58% of surveys completed on first attempt), we estimated a cost of $10.65 per completed survey. IMPLICATIONS: Telephone-administered surveying of older adults may be considered as an appropriate component of an overall community-based service strategy. The estimation of the constituents of nutritional risk, by geographic area, economic status, or ethnicity, may aid in providing estimates of service needs and procuring and allocating resources. Additional methods of data collection are necessary in order to target older persons without telephone service.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Cellular telephones and cancer--a nationwide cohort study in Denmark.

BACKGROUND: Use of cellular telephones is increasing exponentially and has become part of everyday life. Concerns about possible carcinogenic effects of radiofrequency signals have been raised, although they are based on limited scientific evidence. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of cancer incidence was conducted in Denmark of all users of cellular telephones during the period from 1982 through 1995. Subscriber lists from the two Danish operating companies identified 420 095 cellular telephone users. Cancer incidence was determined by linkage with the Danish Cancer Registry. All statistical tests are two-sided. RESULTS: Overall, 3391 cancers were observed with 3825 expected, yielding a significantly decreased standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.86 to 0.92). A substantial proportion of this decreased risk was attributed to deficits of lung cancer and other smoking-related cancers. No excesses were observed for cancers of the brain or nervous system (SIR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.81 to 1.12) or of the salivary gland (SIR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.29 to 1.49) or for leukemia (SIR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.78-1.21), cancers of a priori interest. Risk for these cancers also did not vary by duration of cellular telephone use, time since first subscription, age at first subscription, or type of cellular telephone (analogue or digital). Analysis of brain and nervous system tumors showed no statistically significant SIRs for any subtype or anatomic location. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this investigation, the first nationwide cancer incidence study of cellular phone users, do not support the hypothesis of an association between use of these telephones and tumors of the brain or salivary gland, leukemia, or other cancers.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

A comparison of responses to mailed questionnaires and telephone interviews in a mixed mode health survey.

This paper compares respondents to mailed questionnaires with those nonrespondents subsequently interviewed by telephone in a survey of Massachusetts women aged 45-55 years conducted in 1981-1982. This mixed mode approach produced 8,050 responses, giving a response rate of 77%. This rate is similar to rates obtained in many surveys that employed in-person interviews, which are still widely used in health surveys but are increasingly expensive. Telephone respondents differed socioeconomically from mail respondents, suggesting that telephone follow-up of nonrespondents may have reduced nonresponse bias in this survey. Thus, a mixed mode approach may be superior to a mail-only approach with respect to this aspect of data quality. Women responding by mail were more likely to hold professional jobs, to have relatively high household incomes, and to have more years of education. Controlling for these socioeconomic differences did not, however, remove differences in reported health outcomes between mail and telephone respondents. These differences may be explained by less complete recall in the telephone interviews or they may arise from actual differences in health profiles between early (i.e., mail) and late (i.e., telephone) respondents. Although a mixed mode approach may reduce nonresponse bias, more research is required concerning the reasons for response differences between modes and to eliminate any differences caused by problems in data quality.

Female↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of a brief telephone questionnaire to estimate fruit and vegetable consumption in diverse study populations.

We evaluated the use of a six-item telephone questionnaire to estimate fruit and vegetable intakes in five diverse populations. Researchers administered the telephone questionnaire to persons who had previously undergone more extensive dietary assessment. The study population included 553 middle-aged and older adults in Beaver Dam, WI; 252 middle-aged and older women throughout Wisconsin; 150 parents of school children in Augusta, GA; 73 low-income, Hispanic mothers in Chicago, IL; and 51 older adults in Arizona. Spearman correlation coefficients between total fruit and vegetable intakes measured by the brief telephone survey and by more extensive food frequency questionnaires were 0.47 (Augusta), 0.48 (Arizona), 0.56 (Wisconsin), and 0.57 (Beaver Dam). Correlations between intakes measured by the brief telephone survey and by multiple diet records or recalls were 0.29 (Arizona), 0.46 (Chicago), and 0.54 (Beaver Dam). With the exception of Arizona, mean daily fruit and vegetable intakes measured by the telephone survey were similar to intakes estimated by multiple diet records or recalls and lower than those estimated by extensive food frequency questionnaires. Although caution may be needed in interpreting dietary reports from some ethnic subgroups, this brief telephone questionnaire may be useful for surveillance of fruit and vegetable intake in the United States.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Telephone usage in the hearing-impaired population.

The purpose of this project was to determine if the hearing-impaired population reports satisfaction with their ability to converse over the telephone in both aided and unaided situations. For this study, we surveyed 104 hearing-impaired persons using a 43 item questionnaire that investigates problems that hearing-impaired people encounter when using the telephone. The questionnaire also probes the solutions that hearing-impaired people use for overcoming these problems. Of the 91 respondents who wear hearing aids, 55% use their aids while operating the telephone. However, 70% of these respondents reported that coupling the hearing aid to the telephone is problematic. Use of a telephone amplifier was reported by 73% of the sampled population. The majority of the subjects, 75%, indicated an interest in improvements in telephone communications for hearing-impaired people.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Telephone set and environmental control center-VITAL aids disabled people at home and in medical centers.

One of the vital needs of the disabled people is to communicate with other people and to control certain environmental conditions. Due to their restricted motility of impaired sensorial capabilities, telecommunication facilities are even more important to them than to nondisabled people. Many of them, however, are not able to use standard telephone sets, they need a special telephone set. To meet these requirements. VITAL subsets have been developed by SEL/ITT. This paper describes the principle features of the basic telephone subsets VITAL and the supplementary units, and presents some typical example for applications at home, at the working place, and in a medical center. The two telephone subsets VITAL 1 and 2 form the basis of the whole VITAL family. They serve as a telephone subset and as an environmental control center. VITAL meets and requirements of persons who are impaired in their motility in sight or in hearing and by means of the large buttons especially the needs of persons suffering from cerebral palsy resp. spinal injury and of the multiple disabled. The operating force can be adapted easily to the individual needs of the disabled person. By use of a "line" button the telephone set can be operated while the handset is fixed in a stand. Also the subset itself can be mounted on a stand, e.g. in an overhead position. One of the most important supplements is the VITAL E8 through which the disabled can operate up to 6 mains voltage circuits.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2002

Cellular and cordless telephones and the risk for brain tumours.

Microwave exposure from the use of cellular telephones has been discussed in recent years as a potential risk factor for brain tumours. We included in a case-control study 1617 patients aged 20-80 years of both sexes with brain tumour diagnosed between 1 January 1997 and 30 June 2000. They were alive at the study time and had histopathologically verified brain tumour. One matched control to each case was selected from the Swedish Population Register. The study area was the Uppsala-Orebro, Stockholm, Linköping and Göteborg medical regions of Sweden. Exposure was assessed by a questionnaire that was answered by 1429 (88%) cases and 1470 (91%) controls. In total, use of analogue cellular telephones gave an increased risk with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.6). With a tumour induction period of >10 years the risk increased further: OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-2.9). No clear association was found for digital or cordless telephones. With regard to the anatomical area of the tumour and exposure to microwaves, the risk was increased for tumours located in the temporal area on the same side of the brain that was used during phone calls; for analogue cellular telephones the OR was 2.5 (95% CI 1.3-4.9). Use of a telephone on the opposite side of the brain was not associated with an increased risk for brain tumours. With regard to different tumour types, the highest risk was for acoustic neurinoma (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.8-6.8) among analogue cellular telephone users.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effects of nurse-initiated telephone follow-up on self-efficacy among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AIM: This paper reports a study to determine whether a nurse-initiated telephone follow-up programme could increase patients' self-efficacy in managing dyspnoea and decrease health care service use. BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a worldwide health problem and has been labelled a burdensome disease. Because of the fear of activity-induced dyspnoea, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease lack the confidence to perform daily activities. Studies of cardiac and diabetic patients have shown that telephone follow-up care is an effective approach to increasing self-efficacy. However, little such research has been done with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled study. A total of 60 participants (30 telephone follow-up, 30 control) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were recruited from an acute care hospital in Hong Kong. The Chinese Self-Efficacy Scale was used to assess self-efficacy. Measures of health care use were numbers of visits to an accident and emergency department, hospitalizations, and unscheduled visits by physicians. FINDINGS: The self-efficacy scores (U = 272.5, P = 0.009) of patients who were followed up by telephone improved significantly compared with those of patients in the control group. Multiple regression analyses showed that telephone follow-up (Beta = 0.33, CI: 0.19-0.48, P = 0.001), the pulmonary rehabilitation programme (Beta = 0.44, CI: 0.16-0.72, P = 0.003), smoking (Beta = 0.34, CI: 0.09-0.57, P = 0.009), and health care use (Beta = -0.27, CI: -0.47-(-0.07), P = 0.008) were significant factors in predicting patient self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-initiated telephone follow-up care was effective in increasing self-efficacy in managing dyspnoea. The study needs to be replicated in other setting to strengthen its external validity.

Aftercare↗
PubMed2000

How well does a telephone questionnaire measure drinking water intake?

BACKGROUND: Few studies have assessed the validity or reliability of drinking water intake estimations. In studies investigating potential waterborne disease, this is very important. METHODS: We carried out a validity and reliability study to evaluate water intake estimations. The validity part of the study compared a telephone questionnaire to a diary. The reliability part of the study compared two telephone questionnaires. RESULTS: 253 participants were recruited. The most commonly consumed water intake categories were plain and boiled tap water. For persons aged less than 12 years, the median volume of plain water consumption was 2.9 glasses/day according to the diary. For persons aged 12 years and over, the median volume of plain water consumption was 3.0 glasses/day and for boiled water 3.0 glasses/day according to the diary. There was negligible systematic over or under reporting by participants for the telephone questionnaire in comparison to the diary and for the comparison of both telephone questionnaires. Water intake estimates were converted to categorical variables and the per cent agreement and weighted kappa statistics were calculated. For both the validity and reliability parts of the study the per cent agreement was 57-78% and the weighted kappa was 0.57-0.81. CONCLUSION: Water intake estimates show only moderate levels of validity and reliability when using a telephone questionnaire in comparison to a diary. IMPLICATIONS: Investigators of potential waterborne disease or nutritional research should exercise some caution in drawing conclusions from minor differences in drinking water intake that are obtained from a telephone questionnaire.

Adolescent↗