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With more an more GPs opting not provide out-of-hours services, nurses are stepping into the breach to meet patients' needs. Telephone triage and emergency care centres are just two examples of the new service provision.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
This is the second part of a review of the literature about telephone triage and explores the accuracy and reliability of telephone assessment and advice. The authors identify the need to formalise processes of telephone advice and assessment.
The surgical day case unit (SDCU) at Bumley General Hospital recently piloted a post-operative telephone service. All patients are called by a registered nurse the day after discharge. Audit of the service over six months generated valuable information about many aspects of the service, including the incidence of post-operative problems, pain control and instructions given to patients. The results were fed back to staff, who set standards to highlight areas where improvement and changes in practice were appropriate.
AIM: The objective of this study was to audit the nature of telephone consultations with a Macmillan nurse specialist. METHOD: All calls made to or by a Macmillan nurse over a period of 20 days were analysed in respect of three main areas: symptom management, psychological support and treatment. Information was recorded on a data sheet and then data were collected and descriptive statistics were produced. RESULTS: The mean length of call was eight minutes. Most calls were incoming and involved patients, followed by relatives and healthcare professionals. The majority of calls involved psychological support, followed by symptom management then treatment. CONCLUSION: The data show that the Macmillan nurse specialist spends a large amount of time in telephone work, mainly in consultation with patients.
In this article the authors discuss strategies to help patients stop smoking--the greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK. They outline the various products and local support services available for patients.
AIM: To explore why individuals contacted a telephone helpline specialising in neurological conditions and their level of satisfaction with the service. METHOD: Callers were asked to complete a confidential postal questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of callers found the helpline useful and all respondents would use the service again. The main reasons for contacting the helpline were to obtain medical information or request an information booklet. Health professionals and the internet were the other main sources of information and support. CONCLUSION: A telephone helpline is important in the provision of information and support on neurological conditions. Through close collaboration, the NHS and voluntary organisations can fulfil many of the needs of patients with complex medical conditions.
This article describes an initiative pioneered by the Met Office which uses weekly weather forecasts to enable the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) outreach team in Plymouth to target patients most at risk of developing exacerbations. An active management plan is implemented during the winter to help prevent further deterioration in the patient's condition and possible hospital admissions.
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Residential Crisis Units (RCU) are non-hospital-based facilities that provide mental health crisis intervention. This paper reviews the RCU literature base and finds good evidence of the ability of RCUs to function as alternatives to hospitalization for many consumers, with equivalent effectiveness and for significantly less cost. Despite this promising research, the RCU model has not been widely adopted. Using two crisis units as case examples as well as key informant interviews, this paper explores factors affecting the lack of dissemination and potential barriers to the growth of the RCU model.
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AIM OF STUDY: To study the description of callers using a telephone helpline to improve support to patients in between appointments. METHOD: This includes creating a helpline in the department and getting psychiatrists, medical officers, psychologists and social workers trained to man this line during office hours. Information from callers were recorded and analysed using SPSS for MS Windows version 6.0. RESULTS: The callers were mainly females calling about personal problems, namely psychiatric symptoms and sleep difficulties. Half were given specialist appointments and one-fifth were discharged after telephone counselling. CONCLUSIONS: Telephone counselling is useful in clarifying medical instructions and supporting psychiatric patients in between outpatient appointments.