Telephone nurses' communication and response to callers' concern—a mixed methods study

Ernesäter, Annica; Engström, Maria; Winblad, Ulrika; Rahmqvist, Mikael; Holmström, Inger

doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2015.04.012

Cited by 31 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Another of the main findings was the TNs’ concern about missing some urgent aspect in the calls with FCs. This is in line with an earlier study, which showed that SHD TNs mainly asked closed‐ended medical questions and rarely open‐ended ones (Ernesäter et al, ). This led to TNs being unaware of the cause of the callers’ concern, which is incompatible with person‐centred care (Ernesäter et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…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, ). This is particularly bothersome because there is a connection between callers’ self‐reported worry and the chance of face‐to‐face contact or a hospital stay, which indicates that callers have an understanding of their illness and situation (Gamst‐Jensen, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

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: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Skogevall

Holmström

Kaminsky

et al. 2020

Journal of Advanced Nursing

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Telenursing services are staffed with registered nurses (RNs, henceforth telenurses ). Their work environment is typical of a call centre, in that they sit in front of a computer wearing headsets and handling incoming calls [2, 3]. During a short period of time, telenurses make an assessment of the care-seekers need for care, independently triage the need for care, give individualized care (e.g., give self-care advice, information and support), and refer the care-seeker to the appropriate healthcare provider, all using only communicative strategies [1, 2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Swedish service is quite similar to the UK service NHS Direct, the difference being that Sweden does not have call handlers who first triage callers’ need for care and forward the appropriate calls to the telenurses. SHD is staffed by approximately 1100 telenurses [3] with the assistance of a computerized decision support system (CDSS). The CDSS used at SHD, as well as at NHS Direct, can be entered either based on symptoms or diagnosis, and it covers various symptoms and medical conditions among children, adolescents, adults and older people [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At SHD, all calls are recorded and call time, number of answered call per hour, level of referral and queue time are registered, monitored and evaluated [3, 13]. Telenurses employed at SHD have described how they perceive a conflict between nursing care, where every patient should be treated as an individual, and managers’ demands for efficiency, with short queue times and short calls [7, 14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identified obstacles and prerequisites in telenurses’ work environment – a modified Delphi study

Björkman

Engström

Olsson

et al. 2017

BMC Health Serv Res

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BackgroundTelenursing is an expanding part of healthcare, staffed with registered nurses whose work environment is typical of a call centre. Work-related stress has been shown to be a major problem in nurses’ work environments and of importance to the outcome of care, patient safety, nurse job satisfaction and burnout. Today, however, we have a limited understanding of and knowledge about the work environment for telenurses. The aim of the present study is to explore and reach consensus on perceived important obstacles and prerequisites in telenurses’ work environment.MethodsA modified Delphi design, using qualitative as well as quantitative data sequentially through three phases, was taken. Data were initially collected via semi-structured interviews (Phase I) and later using a web survey (Phase II-III) between March 2015 and March 2016.ResultsThe findings present a consensus view of telenurses’ experiences of important obstacles and prerequisites in their work environment. Central to the findings are the aspects of telenurses having a demanding work, cognitive fatigue and having no opportunity for recovery during the work shift was ranked as important obstacles. Highly ranked prerequisites for managing were being able to focus on one caller at a time, working in a calm and pleasant environment and having technical support 24/7.ConclusionsManagers need to enable telenurses to experience control in their work, provided with possibilities to control their work and to recover during work; shortening work time could improve their work environment. Limited possibilities to perform work might contribute to feelings of stress and inability to perform work.

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To feel emotional concern: A qualitative interview study to explore telephone nurses’ experiences of difficult calls

Eriksson

Jansson

et al. 2019

Nursing Open

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Aim To describe telenurses’ experiences of difficult calls. Design A qualitative approach with a descriptive design was used to gain a deeper understanding of the telenurses’ experiences. Methods The data were collected in spring 2017 through semi‐structured interviews with 19 telenurses at call centres and primary healthcare centres and were analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results Becoming emotionally concerned is central to the telenurse’s experiences of difficult calls. Difficult calls are accompanied by feelings such as inadequacy, uncertainty and anxiety, which can be described as emotional tension. Emotional tension refers to situations when the caller’s expressed emotions were conveyed to the telenurses and altered their state of mind. The telenurses stated that difficult calls that cause them to become anxious remain in their thoughts and go through their minds repeatedly, making a deep impression.

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Telephone nurses' communication and response to callers' concern—a mixed methods study

Cited by 31 publications

References 35 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

Identified obstacles and prerequisites in telenurses’ work environment – a modified Delphi study

To feel emotional concern: A qualitative interview study to explore telephone nurses’ experiences of difficult calls

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