Frequent callers to telephone helplines: new evidence and a new service model

Pirkis, Jane; Middleton, Aves; Bassilios, Bridget; Harris, Meredith; Spittal, Matthew J; Fedszyn, Izabela; Chondros, Patty; Gunn, Jane

doi:10.1186/s13033-016-0076-4

Cited by 45 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The challenge the TNs experienced with FCs in the present study is congruent with the study by Holmström et al (), where FCs constituted a challenge for TNs and often comprised the caller's worries and anxieties. Furthermore, in the background it is described that in several studies the FCs were more likely to have psychiatric comorbidity (Corral et al, ; Edwards et al, ; Fisher et al, ; Liu et al, ; Middleton et al, ; Pirkis et al, ; Ramors‐Rivers et al, ; Spittal et al, ), which also seems to be the case in the present study according to these TNs. It has previously been shown that there is a positive relationship between expressions of concern by the caller and disapproval by the nurse (Ernesäter, Engström, Winblad, Rahmqvist, & Holmström, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…FCs account for a significant proportion of all calls to telephone nursing services (Middleton et al, 2014;Pirkis et al, 2016;Scott et al, 2014). Responding to FCs' calls may also imply that other calls are put on hold for longer than is ideal, hence reducing access.…”

Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there is no consensus on a definition of the term, the phenomenon of FCs is described in the studies that use the term. In several studies, the FCs were more likely to have psychiatric comorbidity (Corral, Yaur, Diaz, Simmons, & Sussman, ; Edwards, Bassett, Sinden, & Fothergrill, ; Fisher et al, ; Liu et al, ; Middleton et al, ; Pirkis et al, ; Ramors‐Rivers et al, ; Spittal et al, ). Furthermore, a connection has been found between medical‐psychiatric comorbidity and frequent use of primary care resources (Ferrari, Galeazzi, Mackinnon, & Rigatelli, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A survey of telephone nurses’ experiences in their encounters with frequent callers

Skogevall

Holmström

Kaminsky

et al. 2020

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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Aim The aim of this study was to describe telephone nurses’ experiences of their encounters with frequent callers to Swedish Healthcare Direct. Design A descriptive inductive design with qualitative approach. Methods Data collection was performed during the period of September 2017 – June 2018. A total of 199 telephone nurses working at 10 Swedish Healthcare Direct sites with different geographical locations in Sweden answered a survey containing seven open‐ended questions. Data analysis was performed during the period of September 2018 – June 2019. The answers were analysed using content analysis. Results The telephone nurses perceived that the encounters with frequent callers were sometimes frustrating as they felt unable to help. According to the telephone nurses, the frequent callers called about the same issues several times and the calls were often about loneliness and psychiatric problems. The telephone nurses were worried about missing something urgent; one of the aspects leading to this was the perception of knowing the caller. They expressed a wish to know more about frequent callers and strategies for helping them. A common care plan for frequent callers’ calls was suggested. Conclusion Telephone nurses often found it difficult to handle calls from frequent callers. However, they had a will to care for frequent callers and to learn more about them. Therefore, a common strategy, education and training for telephone nurses in answering calls from frequent callers could be beneficial for both callers and telephone nurses. Impact statement This study offers insights to researchers, telephone nurses and managers of telephone nursing, regarding telephone nurses’ experiences in handling frequent caller calls. These findings can offer direction for the content of a possible intervention.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A survey of telephone nurses’ experiences in their encounters with frequent callers

Skogevall

Holmström

Kaminsky

et al. 2020

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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“…Research has classified callers as 'one-off' or 'repeat callers' and studies found that 3% of callers take up 47-60% of the service capacity [3]- [7]. Research on call demand also reported that calls to helplines peak at weekends and in the evening during the week [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Caller Type From a Mental Health and Well-Being Helpline: Analysis of Call Log Data (Preprint)

Grigorash¹,

O’Neill²,

Bond³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Background: The paper presents an analysis of call data records pertaining to a telephone helpline in Ireland, for those seeking mental health and wellbeing support and for those who are in a suicidal crisis. Objective: Our aim was to examine if rule sets generated from decision tree classification, trained using features derived from a caller's several initial calls could be used to predict the type of caller they would become. Methods: Machine learning techniques were applied to the call log data and five distinct patterns of caller behaviors were revealed, each impacting the helpline capacity in different ways. Results:The main findings from the paper indicate that a statistically significant model (p<0.001) for predicting caller type from call log data obtained from the first eight calls is possible. This indicates an association between caller behavior exhibited in the first number of calls and their behavior over the lifetime of using the service. Conclusions: These data-driven findings contribute to advanced workload forecasting for operational management of the telephony-based helpline and informs the literature on helpline caller behavior generally.

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“…Therefore, frequent callers might need to be given constraints on the number of calls they can make to the hotline and the length of those calls. A service model was proposed that involved specially training certain call workers to work with frequent callers, who would enforce limitations and work with a caller to establish long-term mental health care that is not the hotline (Pirkis et al, 2016).…”

Section: Frequent Callersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescents in the Emergency Room: Assessing and Addressing Suicide Risk

Sellars¹

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Frequent callers to telephone helplines: new evidence and a new service model

Cited by 45 publications

References 33 publications

A survey of telephone nurses’ experiences in their encounters with frequent callers

A survey of telephone nurses’ experiences in their encounters with frequent callers

Predicting Caller Type From a Mental Health and Well-Being Helpline: Analysis of Call Log Data (Preprint)

Adolescents in the Emergency Room: Assessing and Addressing Suicide Risk

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