Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Telephone”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Parent Line: nurse telephone intervention for parents and caregivers of children from birth through age 5.

PURPOSE: To describe the development and implementation of Parent Line, a program to improve the health and development status of children through periodic telephone contact by nurses. POPULATION: Low-income parents of children from birth through age 5. CONCLUSION: Telephone contact with a nurse, combined with peer counselor contact when no telephone is available, is welcomed by parents and can address needs in a timely way that might be unmet otherwise. Telephone intervention can provide social and emotional support, education, and advocacy for families. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The telephone can be of value to pediatric nurses in providing anticipatory guidance and health teaching, and be a support to parents throughout the preschool years.

Child Health Services↗
PubMed1998

Reliability of routine clinical instruments for the assessment of Alzheimer's disease administered by telephone.

We investigated the reliability, using a telephone interview procedure, of cognitive, functional, and behavioral scales in an elderly population with normal aging and dementia. Two clinicians performed the assessments: one performed the assessments in a telephone interview format and the other conducted the assessments at the clinic. The telephone interview always preceded the clinic evaluation (2-30 days apart), and both clinicians were blind to any previous evaluations of the patient. The intraclass correlation coefficients between the telephone interview and the ratings obtained by a different clinician on the clinic evaluation varied between 0.92 and 0.98 (P's < or = .001) for comprehensive test scores. These results indicate that a telephone interview format, although not a substitute for a face-to-face diagnostic evaluation, is a reliable procedure for obtaining the assessment modalities studied. These findings are particularly important in aged and dementia research populations where personal contact may not always be feasible.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Impact of standalone and embedded telephone triage systems on after hours primary medical care service utilisation and mix in Australia.

BACKGROUND: The Australian government sponsored five local trials aimed at addressing problems in after hours (AH) primary medical care (PMC). The study's objective was to determine if the four trials, where telephone triage was the sole innovation, led to a reduction in AH service utilisation and change in service mix towards AH GP clinics. Changes in utilisation and mix of AH GP clinic and home visits, ED and ambulance use were monitored in the trial areas, and in a national sample to adjust for the effects of secular trend. Pre- and post-trial telephone surveys of two separate random samples of approximately 350 AH PMC user households in each area were conducted. RESULTS: Some types of AH PMC use became more frequent in both of the standalone services using nurse-administered proprietary call centre software, which were aimed at better addressing population need (Statewide call centre; Regional call centre). Service use overall (95%CI: 1.03-1.83) and GP clinic use (95%CI: 1.07-2.00) increased in the metro area of the Statewide call centre and in GP clinic (95%CI: 1.04-2.14) and home visits (95%CI: 1.03-3.91) in the non-metro area of the Regional call centre. Service mix only changed in the non-metro area of the Regional call centre with increased contact in GP home visits (95%CI: 1.02-4.38). Levels of use remained unchanged in both embedded services using other than proprietary software, which were established to support the GP workforce (Deputising service; Local triage centre). Service mix only changed in the Deputising service with a change away from AH GP clinics in both contact (95%CI: 0.39-0.97) and frequency (95% CI: -2.12 - -0.7). CONCLUSION: Bearing in mind limitations in estimating AH PMC utilisation levels and mix, it is concluded that the impacts of telephone triage were generally smaller in Australia than reported elsewhere. There were different impacts on levels of service utilisation and service mix in standalone call centres and embedded services. Impacts of telephone triage on service utilisation and mix are influenced by the type of telephone triage offered, the goals of the agency providing the service, as well as local factors.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Administering the MADRS by telephone or face-to-face: a validity study.

BACKGROUND: The Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is a frequently used observer-rated depression scale. In the present study, a telephonic rating was compared with a face-to-face rating in 66 primary care patients with minor or mild-major depression. The aim of the present study was to assess the validity of the administration by telephone. Additional objective was to study the validity of the first item, 'apparent sadness', the only item purely based on observation. METHODS: The present study was a validity study. During an in-person interview at the patient's home a trained interviewer administered the MADRS. A few days later the MADRS was administered again, but now by telephone and by a : Mean total score on the in-person administration was 24.0 (SD = 11.1), and on the telephone administration 23.5 (SD = 10.4). The ICC for the full scale was 0.65. Homogeneity analysis showed that the observation item 'apparent sadness' fitted well into the scale. CONCLUSION: The full MADRS, including the observation item 'apparent sadness', can be administered reliably by telephone.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Case-control study on radiology work, medical x-ray investigations, and use of cellular telephones as risk factors for brain tumors.

CONTEXT: Ionizing radiation is a well-established risk factor for brain tumors. During recent years, microwave exposure from the use of cellular telephones has been discussed as a potential risk factor. OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for brain tumors. DESIGN: A case-control study, with exposure assessed by questionnaires. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 233 currently living men and women, aged 20 to 80 years, were included. The case patients had histopathologically verified brain tumors and lived in the Uppsala-Orebro region (1994-1996) or the Stockholm region (1995-1996). Two matched controls to each case were selected from the Swedish Population Register. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ionizing radiation and use of cellular telephones as risk factors for brain tumors. RESULTS: A total of 209 cases (90%) and 425 controls (91%) answered the questionnaire. Work as a physician yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 6.00, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.62 to 57.7. All three case patients had worked with fluoroscopy. Radiotherapy of the head and neck region yielded an OR of 3.61 (95% CI, 0.65-19.9). Medical diagnostic x-ray examination of the same area yielded an OR of 2.10 (95% CI, 1.25-3.53), with a tumor induction period of 5 years or more. Chemical industry work yielded an OR of 4.10 (95% CI, 1.25-13.4), and laboratory work yielded an OR of 3.21 (95% CI, 1.16-8.85). Ipsilateral use of cellular telephones increased the risk for tumors in the temporal, temporoparietal, and occipital lobes (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 0.97-6.05), ie, the anatomic areas with highest exposure to microwaves from a mobile telephone. The result was further strengthened (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.02-6.71) in a multivariate analysis that included laboratory work and medical diagnostic x-ray investigations of the head and neck. CONCLUSION: Exposure to ionizing radiation, work in laboratories, and work in the chemical industry increased the risk of brain tumors. Use of a cellular telephone was associated with an increased risk in the anatomic area with highest exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Development and standardization of a new telephonic cognitive screening test: the Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen (MCAS).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a telephonically administered cognitive screening battery, consisting of nine brief tests (orientation, attention, delayed word recall, comprehension, repetition, naming, computation, judgment, and verbal fluency), to distinguish between patients with dementia and healthy control subjects. BACKGROUND: Existing telephonic screening instruments do not take full advantage of strategies that might increase precision. METHODS: A total of 228 elderly individuals received a telephone assessment of cognitive function (99 mildly to moderately demented nursing home residents with an established diagnosis of dementia residing in 1 of 12 nursing facilities, and 129 community-dwelling elderly individuals who were independently screened to verify normal cognitive function). RESULTS: Nurses and psychologists experienced in telephonic test administration typically completed the screening with each subject in less than 20 minutes. At the 100% sensitivity level, the test battery had a specificity of 87%. The post hoc optimal cut-score of the discriminant analysis yielded a sensitivity of 97.5% and a specificity of 98.5%. The split-half reliability of the test battery was 0.91. The more powerfully predictive subtests were orientation, delayed word recall, verbal fluency, computation, and judgment. CONCLUSIONS: This telephonic screening instrument appears to have promise to distinguish, with high precision, healthy elderly individuals from those individuals with cognitive impairment. The Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen (MCAS) should undergo further study in unselected elderly populations to better understand its value as a screening tool.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2002

A comparative study of telephone versus onsite completion of the WOMAC 3.0 osteoarthritis index.

OBJECTIVE: Outcome assessment in clinical trials using the Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC 3.0) Osteoarthritis Index is traditionally achieved through self-administration of the Index. However, in other areas of clinical measurement, telephone administration has been shown to be a reliable method of acquiring data that are both accurate and complete. To address this issue in knee osteoarthritis (OA), we conducted a comparative study of telephone administration by interviewer of WOMAC LK3.0 versus onsite self-completion at the hospital. METHODS: Fifty consenting patients with knee OA were randomized to complete the WOMAC LK3.0 Index by telephone interview one day, followed by onsite completion the following day, or vice versa. Neither patients nor interviewers had access to any prior scores. RESULTS: The mean age of the 50 patients was 66.3 years (range 44-82); 34 (68%) were female and 16 (32%) male. There was excellent agreement between the mean office and telephone scores, with mean differences for the WOMAC LK3.0 pain, stiffness, and function subscale scores and total score of 0.09, 0.12, 0.78, and 0.98, respectively. These differences were well within the respective protocol defined equivalence criteria of +/- 1.7, +/- 0.9, +/- 6.4, and +/- 9.1, and represented differences from office scores of 0.9, 2.6, 2.4, and 2.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The use of telephone interviews for the WOMAC LK3.0 Index is a valid method of obtaining OA outcome measurements. These observations have important implications for designing data acquisition strategies for future OA clinical trials and for longterm observational studies.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Telephone social support for low-income pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether social support can be provided to low-income pregnant women by telephone. DESIGN: A qualitative pilot study. SETTING: Nonurban prenatal clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 20 pregnant women who were eligible for Medicaid, spoke English, were at least 24 weeks gestation, and had a telephone or access to a telephone. RESULTS: The Baby-Beep pilot program provides strong evidence that a telephone social support intervention is feasible and highly acceptable to a group of low-income pregnant women. Through the use of the telephone, a strong rapport appeared to develop between the health care provider and the women because nonverbal cues were eliminated. The study also found that collaboration between mental health nurses and prenatal care providers could help create safe, cost-effective psychosocial care for pregnant women. CONCLUSION: The Baby-Beep pilot study provides important information about one way to deliver social support to low-income women who may have little or no social support and feel alienated in a clinical setting.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of a computerized program (ARSENIC) as an aid for telephone consultations in a poison center.

ARSENIC is a computerized system providing assistance for telephone consultation in poison centers. Its main characteristic is to blend the document consultation process with the case-recording procedure. It has been used in the daily routine of our poison center since 1987. To evaluate this system, 2 weeks were randomly chosen. During one, ARSENIC was used by the telephone responders; during the other week, traditional paper documents and files were used. Document search times, coding times and quality of responders were recorded by a blinded observer and analysed in total and on the basis of the training of the telephone officer (medical student, resident or toxicologist). ARSENIC decreased the document search times (3.1 +/- 2.7 min vs 3.8 +/- 2.9 min; p less than 0.05) and did not increase coding time (2.1 +/- 1.2 min vs 2.2 +/- 1.4 min; NS). For each group of telephone responders, answer quality increased with ARSENIC. More important, the answer quality of less-trained officers using ARSENIC was similar to that of trained toxicologists without ARSENIC. The quality assurance given by ARSENIC was, for us, the most important argument for computer use at telephone desks.

Hotlines↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Teen voices on a proposed telephone health service.

The purpose of this study was to elicit information, feelings, and perceptions of middle and high school students concerning a proposed telephone service for adolescents. Sixteen boys and 33 girls were recruited from six schools. Debriefing summaries from nine focus group sessions were analyzed. Most participants had access to a telephone and privacy during phone calls. Overall response to the proposed telephone service was favorable. The participants voiced needs for evening and night service hours, minimal or no service charges and skilled and caring operators. They also suggested catchy names and marketing strategies for the telephone service. Implications for designing a telephone service for adolescents were drawn.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Establishment of a 900 telephone number at a university-based drug information service.

Effects of converting a free drug information service at a university medical center to a 900 telephone number are described. Calls to a university medical center drug information service had increased beyond the capacity of staff. A telephone survey to recent users of the service indicated that callers outside the institution would be willing to pay a fee for the service, so a 900 number was instituted for outside calls in January 1993. Staff recorded data on all questions they answered; data for 1993 were compared with those from 1992. Question volume decreased by 48% after the 900 number was instituted, with questions from outside the institution dropping by 55%, questions from outside health care professionals dropping by 72%, and questions from the lay public increasing slightly. One severe impediment to callers from local hospitals was that many hospitals block access to 900 numbers from their telephone systems. The average length of a call was three minutes and the average cost per call was $6. Net income during the first year of operation was $6698. The 900 number provided some income, but it did not completely offset operating costs. A 900 telephone number is a workable, but imperfect, method of providing drug information to outside callers. Early notification of users before implementing a 900 number is essential to allow time for them to arrange telephone access.

California↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Telephone help line for cancer counseling and cancer information.

PURPOSE: A telephone help line for providing cancer counseling and information was started in 1990 at the University Hospital of Uppsala, Sweden. The current study aimed to assess the experience of the telephone help line after 3 years of operation and to compare the results with telephone services in other countries. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: For each telephone call, a standard report form was completed and a short narrative description of the caller's concerns was written. RESULTS: During the first 3 years, 735 calls were registered. Most of the calls were made by next of kin (30%) and patients (28%). Most (77%) of callers were women. The issues addressed were mainly medical or psychosocial. The medical questions were, in most cases, related to a patient's illness or treatment. The psychosocial questions dealt with the caller's (patient or next of kin) own anxiety, and these calls developed into supportive dialogues. Patients made more medical inquiries than next of kin, whereas family members were more concerned with psychosocial questions (P < 0.01). Questions relating to breast cancer accounted for a great part of the calls from patients (34%), but significantly less from the relatives (10%; P < 0.0001), whereas the opposite was true for colorectal adenocarcinomas (P < 0.01). These findings are discussed together with cultural differences between Sweden and other countries, particularly the United States. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The telephone help line can supply information to patients, next of kin, and the general public on their own premises. Another important task is to function as a link between people with symptoms and appropriate health service.

Counseling↗
PubMed2001

Computer-automated dementia screening using a touch-tone telephone.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the sensitivity and specificity of a computer-automated telephone system to evaluate cognitive impairment in elderly callers to identify signs of early dementia. METHODS: The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale was used to assess 155 subjects aged 56 to 93 years (n = 74, 27, 42, and 12, with a Clinical Dementia Rating Scale score of 0, 0.5, 1, and 2, respectively). These subjects performed a battery of tests administered by an interactive voice response system using standard Touch-Tone telephones. Seventy-four collateral informants also completed an interactive voice response version of the Symptoms of Dementia Screener. RESULTS: Sixteen cognitively impaired subjects were unable to complete the telephone call. Performances on 6 of 8 tasks were significantly influenced by Clinical Dementia Rating Scale status. The mean (SD) call length was 12 minutes 27 seconds (2 minutes 32 seconds). A subsample (n = 116) was analyzed using machine-learning methods, producing a scoring algorithm that combined performances across 4 tasks. Results indicated a potential sensitivity of 82.0% and specificity of 85.5%. The scoring model generalized to a validation subsample (n = 39), producing 85.0% sensitivity and 78.9% specificity. The kappa agreement between predicted and actual group membership was 0.64 (P<.001). Of the 16 subjects unable to complete the call, 11 provided sufficient information to permit us to classify them as impaired. Standard scoring of the interactive voice response-administered Symptoms of Dementia Screener (completed by informants) produced a screening sensitivity of 63.5% and 100% specificity. A lower criterion found a 90.4% sensitivity, without lowering specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Computer-automated telephone screening for early dementia using either informant or direct assessment is feasible. Such systems could provide wide-scale, cost-effective screening, education, and referral services to patients and caregivers.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Assessment of visual acuity via a telephone interview.

We compared the visual acuity of 89 patients obtained via a telephone interview with visual acuity elicited from the same patients in an ophthalmologist's office. Agreement within one line of vision between the telephone interview, in which patients used a modified Rosenbaum near card with attached patch, and the clinic near vision test was observed in 91% of eyes, while agreement within one line of vision between the telephone interview and clinic distance vision test was found in 86% of eyes. We conclude that testing visual acuity via a telephone interview is a potentially useful approach to assessment of visual acuity and prevalence of visual impairment in the larger population.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Efficacy of postoperative follow-up telephone calls for patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of postoperative follow-up telephone calls among pediatric patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy. DESIGN: Prospective study with a follow-up questionnaire administered by telephone. SETTING: Tertiary-care children's hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred thirty-four children between the ages of 4 and 18 years who underwent adenotonsillectomy between December 1997 and June 1998 and did not have associated cardiac, pulmonary, bleeding, or syndromic disorders were included in this pilot study. INTERVENTION: Parents of these patients were given the opportunity to participate in our study, and it was emphasized that, at any time during the child's care, if the parent desired a follow-up visit or if the child experienced any symptoms that caused concern, the parent should contact the clinic for a follow-up appointment. A telephone call was placed 3 to 4 weeks postoperatively by an otolaryngology nurse, and a questionnaire was filled out using the parents' responses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence rates of voice change, velopharyngeal insufficiency, bleeding, constipation, dehydration, and pain were measured. Parent satisfaction, patient safety, and cost-benefit were also evaluated. RESULTS: Less than 5% of patients reported temporary velopharyngeal insufficiency, while 2% of patients required operative intervention for bleeding episodes and 1% required hospitalization. Voice change, reported by approximately 70% of all patients, was the most common complaint, but it resolved in all instances. Pain was reported to be most severe on postoperative day 1. Ninety-six percent of parents requested no further follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: Our pilot study revealed that a follow-up telephone call is a safe and cost-effective method of postoperative management for pediatric patients who have undergone adenotonsillectomy and that this method of follow-up is also desirable to parents.

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMed2005

The effectiveness of telephone-based continuing care for alcohol and cocaine dependence: 24-month outcomes.

CONTEXT: Telephone-based disease management protocols have shown promise in improving outcomes in a number of medical and psychiatric disorders, but this approach to continuing care has received little study in alcohol- and drug-dependent individuals. OBJECTIVE: To compare telephone-based continuing care with 2 more intensive face-to-face continuing care interventions. DESIGN: A randomized 3-group clinical trial with a 2-year follow-up. SETTING: Two outpatient substance abuse treatment programs, one community-based and the other at a Veterans Affairs medical center facility. PATIENTS: Alcohol- and/or cocaine-dependent patients (N = 359) who had completed 4-week intensive outpatient programs. INTERVENTIONS: Three 12-week continuing care treatments: weekly telephone-based monitoring and brief counseling contacts combined with weekly supportive group sessions in the first 4 weeks (TEL), twice-weekly cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention (RP), and twice-weekly standard group counseling (STND). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of days abstinent from alcohol and cocaine, total abstinence from alcohol and cocaine, negative consequences of substance use, cocaine urine toxicological results, and gamma-glutamyltransferase. RESULTS: Participants in TEL had higher rates of total abstinence over the follow-up than those in STND (P<.05). In alcohol-dependent participants, 24-month gamma-glutamyltransferase levels were lower in TEL than in RP (P = .005). In cocaine-dependent participants, there was a significant group x time interaction (P = .03) in which the rate of cocaine-positive urine samples increased more rapidly in RP as compared with TEL. On percentage of days abstinent or negative consequences of substance use, TEL did not differ from RP or STND. Participants with high scores on a composite risk indicator, based on co-occurring alcohol and cocaine dependence and poor progress toward achieving intensive outpatient program goals, had better total abstinence outcomes up to 21 months if they received STND rather than TEL, whereas those with lower scores had higher abstinence rates in TEL than in STND (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Telephone-based continuing care appears to be an effective form of step-down treatment for most patients with alcohol and cocaine dependence who complete an initial stabilization treatment, compared with more intensive face-to-face interventions. However, high-risk patients may have better outcomes if they first receive group counseling continuing care after completing intensive outpatient programs.

Aftercare↗
PubMed2002

Prodding tardy reviewers: a randomized comparison of telephone, fax, and e-mail.

CONTEXT: To compare telephone, fax, and e-mail methods of prodding tardy reviewers. METHODS: Randomized trial conducted January 1998 through June 1999 at the main editorial office of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Reviewers who had failed to file reviews by 28 days after being sent manuscripts (7 days after deadline) were sent identical messages in oral (telephone) or written (fax and e-mail) form inquiring as to the status of review, asking for its completion as soon as possible, and requesting it be sent by fax or e-mail. RESULTS: Of 378 reviewers, proportions returning reviews within 7 days were essentially identical: telephone, 85 (68%) of 125; fax, 86 (67%) of 129; and e-mail, 84 (67%) of 124 (P =.59). In the two thirds who responded, the mean time to return reviews did not differ among the 3 groups. CONCLUSION: Contacting tardy reviewers resulted in a review being received within 7 days in about two thirds of cases, and it made no difference if the contact was made by telephone, fax, or e-mail.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A pilot study of interpersonal psychotherapy by telephone with cancer patients and their partners.

A single-arm pilot study explored the feasibility of adapting in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) by telephone to reduce psychological distress and to enhance coping during cancer treatment. Therapy focuses on role transitions, interpersonal conflicts, and grief precipitated by cancer. Breast cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy received weekly sessions with a psychologist throughout chemotherapy and for 1 month afterwards. Patients could invite one 'partner' to receive individual telephone IPT. Psychosocial functioning was assessed using standardized measures at study entry, after chemotherapy, and following telephone IPT. Accrual and participation supplied evidence of feasibility: 14 patients and 10 partners were recruited, 82.5% of those eligible. Patients had a mean of 16 sessions; partners had a mean of 11. Participants rated their satisfaction with the program between 'good' and 'excellent'. A test of the efficacy of telephone IPT requires a larger, randomized trial. In order to standardize the intervention, a treatment manual was developed. This study indicated the importance of outreach to family members as well as to cancer patients, intensive patient education about oncology treatment and the medical care setting, and psychosocial services that continue after cancer treatment has been completed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗