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At least 937 records · Page 52Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

The environment for telemedicine in the Canary Islands.

We studied the environment for telemedicine in the Canary Islands. The population's attitude to telemedicine was surveyed in 503 questionnaire interviews with doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and patients on the seven islands. Almost half the respondents (46-50% across groups) had a positive opinion of telemedicine. We also collected data about telephone medicine. A total of 479 medical-support telephone calls were made to four doctors, in psychiatry, ophthalmology and paediatrics. The telephone calls resolved the problem in 73% of cases and 86% would have come to the doctor if not made. Therapy was prescribed in 11% and 10% were just for information. The number of telephone calls per day was highest in psychiatry. Finally, we carried out a detailed analysis of the number of transfers between the islands (14,942 people in 1995 and 22,418 in 1996). According to the number of transfers and location of the referral hospital, oncology, psychiatry, dermatology and traumatology were the specialties that would be most likely to benefit from telemedicine.

Child↗
PubMed2003

SARS: a health system's perspective.

Effective communications with different stakeholders was critical for health systems everywhere during the worldwide SARS outbreak earlier this year. For Capital Health in Edmonton, Alberta, the health system was able to build on its past experiences in dealing with meningococcal outbreaks and its planning for a pandemic flu.

Alberta↗
PubMed2002

Telephone contact centre links to primary healthcare reform.

A new telephone health advice service implemented in September 2000 is integral to the Capital Health (Edmonton) Region's strategy to build a comprehensive approach to primary healthcare. Capital Health Link operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and was the first comprehensive nurse-based health advice phone line in Alberta.

Alberta↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A study of out-of-hours telephone advice from an A&E department.

A prospective analysis of telephone calls to an accident and emergency (A&E) department during weekday evenings/nights and weekends was undertaken over a 3-month period. A telephone consultation record (TCR) proforma was developed to record information about each call for advice. The volume of calls, characteristics of callers and patients, nature of presented problems, and advice given were analysed. An average of 9.3 calls were documented during each weekend 24-hour period, and 3.3 calls during each weekday evening/night. Junior nurses took 93% of calls. Advice was sought for a broad range of problems, of which only 11% were musculoskeletal conditions or injuries. Twenty-six per cent of patients were advised to attend A&E, 35% were given self-care advice, and the remainder were advised to contact or see their GP. There is considerable potential to develop a nurse-provided telephone advice service, but the need for staff training and guidelines has to be addressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Meningitis: causes, symptoms and signs and nursing management.

This article discusses the infectious disease meningitis--a notifiable disease since 1912 (Payling, 1994). The major concern is bacterial meningitis and in particular the meningococcal cause. Viral meningitis is also considered. Some 50% of cases of meningitis in the UK are of the viral kind, where the patient usually makes a full recovery and in some instances may not be aware of having contracted the disease (Payling, 1994). Cases of bacterial meningitis are few and if treated effectively and with urgency can result in full recovery; however, any delay may result in fatal sequelae. Bacterial meningitis occurs mainly as a result of meningococcal, pneumococcal or Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) infection. The latter has largely been eradicated in England and Wales as a result of effective immunization programmes. The nurse must develop an awareness of the disease, and diagnose it at an early stage. He/she should know the procedures for referring the patient to prevent an escalation of the infection and to reduce the severity of its effects.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The DIAL-log study 1: Profiling the experience of people with dementia.

Between July 1996 and December 1997 telephone helpline staff from the Alzheimer's Disease Society (ADS) in London, and six participating ADS regions in England and one in Northern Ireland, documented calls from people with dementia who contacted the service. Each call was recorded as soon as practicable after its completion on a Dementia Information and Advice Line (DIAL) log form (DIAL-log). Sixty-four calls were recorded in this way and 62 completed DIAL-logs were included in the study findings. Analysis of the data was undertaken via SPSS 6.1 for Windows. This article, the first of two, introduces the background to the study and notes that callers reported memory loss and forgetfulness as the most frequently noticed first signs of dementia. The study aims and limitations are also outlined in this first article. The second article will detail the main findings and the challenges that the DIAL-log study may provide for future dementia care practice and research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The DIAL-log study. 2: Support in the early stages of dementia.

In the previous article (Vol 8(6): 387-93) the background information and study aims/limitations of the Dementia Information and Advice Lines (DIAL-log) project were outlined. This article introduces the main findings of the project and suggests that the transition into dementia is experienced through rising degrees of uncertainty and anxiety. People with the early experience of dementia also requested strategies for coping with memory loss and uncertainty over the meaning and purpose of memory testing. Building on the main findings of the project, the article concludes with a five-stage framework to help shape future research and service support.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

NHS Direct: examining the challenges for nursing practice.

This article examines the impact of the launch of NHS Direct which was part of the Government's vision for a modern and dependable NHS. In particular, the challenges for nursing practice are detailed within a healthcare strategy which seeks to provide fast access primary health care to the whole population. The strengths and weaknesses of NHS Direct are discussed and its interface with other agencies explored. As NHS Direct will cover the whole of England by October 2000, the evidence to underpin its effectiveness must be considered in the light of media criticisms which indicate that the quality of advice given to callers is sometimes less than optimum.

Critical Pathways↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessing therapeutic intervention used by NHS Direct nurse advisers.

The National Service Framework for Mental Health has identified NHS Direct as a "new point of access" to appropriate mental health services. Mental health calls account for approximately 4% of all calls received by NHS Direct but raise the greatest level of anxiety among advisers and take twice as long to deal with as other calls. In order to provide adequate advice, it is essential to ensure nurse advisers can deal with this type of call. As a first step in meeting these needs this short research article reports on the types of interventions deployed by 18 nurse advisers during role-plays with a mental health "client" expressing self-harm.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

GP views of nurse-led telephone referral for paediatric assessment.

Following the introduction of a new nurse-led telephone referral service to a dedicated paediatric emergency assessment unit (PEAU), a study was conducted to determine the views of general practitioners (GPs) who use the service. The PEAU operates between 10 am and 10 pm on weekdays and between 10 am and 6 pm at weekends. The unit has four beds and treatment and stabilization areas, plus associated services in a dedicated area of a regional child health unit. The design utilized a faxed questionnaire over a 1-month period to all consenting GPs using the PEAU with a postal questionnaire follow-up. Non-parametric Likert scores and qualitative data were used to determine levels of satisfaction with the service and the subsequent management of the referred children. Sixty-nine GPs referred 80 children to the PEAU via the service over a period of 1 month. All consented to participate and were sent a faxed questionnaire, which generated 39 (57%) responses. A follow-up questionnaire sent to the 39 respondents achieved a return of 25 (64%) responses. Thirty-four GPs agreed that referral via the dedicated nurse service was easier than the previous senior house officer referral system. Of the 25 GP respondents to the follow-up postal survey, the majority (17) agreed that the follow-up morning after discharge telephone call to parents by the PEAU nurses was helpful. Four GPs indicated that the 24-hour open access system, offered by the nursing staff, in which a parent may attend PEAU with a discharged child causing concern without a previous appointment, does not always work. This study has shown that a nurse-led telephone referral system to a PEAU for GPs and the subsequent management of the children has been favourably received.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A helpline for patients with chronic dermatological conditions.

A telephone line was set up for patients with chronic dermatological diseases in response to patients' concerns about having a point of contact for advice and for more appropriate and timely access to care when they needed to be seen. The aims were firstly to improve the quality of care and empower patients by providing advice and support with a safety net for those discharged from the authors' service. The second aim was to increase efficiency by reducing unnecessary return appointments. An audit was undertaken to evaluate the telephone service. This showed that patients were reassured that they could access the service according to their needs. There was a high level of satisfaction with the initiative and the advice received. The data also showed that there was a significant improvement in the ratio of new outpatient slots to return appointment slots and waiting times for a first appointment.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nurses' perceptions of providing advice via a telephone care line.

The provision of advice over the telephone in the health service has become more common in the Western world and in Sweden this task is allocated to nurses. There are several million calls a year to the medical care telephone helpline. Nurses answer the calls, provide advice and direct the flow of patients to the most appropriate treatment level. The aim of this study was to describe how nurses perceive their job of providing telephone advice to patients. Interviews with 12 nurses were analyzed using a phenomenographic approach. The nurses perceived their work as stimulating, autonomous and challenging. They also felt exposed because extensive knowledge is required and there is a risk of being criticized, as they are in a front-line position. Nurses who are responsive, determined and not anxious about their prestige can carry out the work well, provided they have a good level of self-awareness. Personal qualities and the confidence of superiors make even an exposed position with considerable requirements manageable.

Adult↗