Satisfaction of 30 402 callers to a medical helpline of the Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo keep healthcare systems sustainable for future demands, many countries are developing a centralised telephone line for out-of-hours primary care services. To increase the quality of such services, more information is needed on factors that influence caller satisfaction. The aim of this study was to identify demographic and call-related characteristics that are associated with the patient satisfaction of callers to a medical helpline in Denmark.DesignRetrospective cohort study on patient registry data and questionnaire results.SettingNon-emergency medical helpline in the Capital Region of Denmark.ParticipantsA random sample of 30 402 callers to the medical helpline between May 2016 and May 2018.Primary and secondary outcome measuresResponses of a satisfaction questionnaire were linked to demographic and call-related dispatch data. Associations between the characteristics were analysed with multivariable logistic regression analysis with satisfaction as the dependent variable. A subgroup analysis was performed on callers for children aged between 0 and 4 years.ResultsOf the 30 402 analysed callers, 73.0% were satisfied with the medical helpline. Satisfaction was associated with calling for a somatic injury (OR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.72 to 2.23), receiving a face-to-face consultation (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 2.04 to 2.50) and a waiting time less than 10 min (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.56 to 2.08). Callers for a 0-year to 4-year-old patient were more likely to be satisfied when they called for a somatic illness or received a telephone consultation, compared with the rest of the population (p<0.0001).ConclusionCallers were in general satisfied with the medical helpline. Satisfaction was associated with reason for encounter, triage response and waiting time. People calling for 0-year to 4-year-old patients were, compared with the rest of the population, more frequently satisfied when they called for a somatic illness or received a telephone consultation.

Impact of a telephone triage service for non-critical emergencies in Switzerland: A cross-sectional study

“…Women were more likely than men to use the TTS in this study (68.5%), which has also been observed in other studies [ 7 , 10 – 15 , 22 , 28 ].…”

“…Evaluation of user satisfaction of TTS is difficult to assess because of a lack of rigorous methods and scales [ 17 , 29 ]. However, most studies that evaluated user satisfaction demonstrated that it was high overall [ 13 , 16 – 18 , 28 , 30 ]. The participants appreciated being able to contact medical personnel outside of their general practitioner’s office hours [ 13 , 16 ], quick and easy access to care, and less of a need to travel [ 18 , 30 ].…”

Registered nurses' understandings of emergency medical dispatch center work: A qualitative phenomenographic interview study

“…Moreover, caller satisfaction could be studied in relation to telephone RNs' understandings of work. For example, Zinger et al (2019) discuss dissatisfaction as a discrepancy between caller expectations and call outcomes. In this regard, whether RNs have the person behind the patient in mind may play a substantial role.…”

“We can’t do without it”: Parent and call-handler experiences of video triage of children at a medical helpline

“…In many countries, OOH call-handlers serve as gatekeepers to meet the increased demand on OOH care and to relieve general practitioners’ (GP) workload. Telephone triage is safe [ 3 ] and callers are generally satisfied [ 4 , 5 ]. However, the task of call-center staff is not easy and might be associated with caregiver/gatekeeper conflicts, difficult decision-making due to lack of visual cues and communicating through a third party [ 6 – 8 ].…”