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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| An analysis of the use of the telephone in the management of patients in skilled nursing facilities | | Author(s) | William Fowkes, Diane Christenson, David McKay |
| Journal title | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 45, no 1, January 1997 |
| Pages | pp 67-70 |
| Keywords | Telephone ; Medical workers ; Management [care] ; Nursing homes ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | An examination of telephone messages and the impact of implementing a subsequent voice mail system of communication for medical care providers and the staffs of 13 US nursing homes is assessed. A total of 10,264 calls were received from the 13 facilities in regard to an average of 207 continuously covered long-term care patients, (an average of 50 calls per patient per year). Acute illness accounted for only 5% of calls, and most communications were routine. Though a new treatment was instituted about one third of the time, no new order was issued in response to 23% of received calls. About 200 calls resulted in hospitalisation. A recent tabulation of 692 calls received during one month revealed that 93% of calls are now received through voice mail, and about one in five of these calls do not need to be returned. There is a significant telephone call burden associated with care of patients in nursing homes. Most calls are routine, regulation driven, and often no return call is necessary. Much of the medical care delivered occurs as a result of these calls, and methods need to be found for practice nurses and physicians to prioritise calls. The voice mail system provides a solution. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-970812237 A |
| Classmark | UJ: QT: QA: LHB: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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