The Impact of a Friendly Telephone Calls Program on Visits With Physicians During Pandemic

Objective. There is no information on the impact and nature of telephone calls directed to subspecialists. The main objective was to document prospectively all calls directed to a first-year infectious diseases fellow, to determine their content, origin, educational value, and time allocation. Results. Three hundred fifty-nine calls were received over a 71-day period from March 24 through May 20, 1992. The mean number of daily calls was 5.1 ± 3.3. Mean time per call was 7 ± 5.4 minutes. Cumulatively, 41.7 hours were spent responding to telephone calls. The subgroup with the most calls (44.3%) was from pediatricians in practice. Seventy percent of calls were for advice about case management. Forty percent of calls were considered educational to the fellow. Conclusions. This study confirms the importance of the infectious disease subspecialist as a resource for primary care physicians.

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Examining Telephone Calls in Ambulatory Oncology

Journal of Oncology Practice ◽

10.1200/jop.0922002 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 57-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Marie Flannery ◽

Shannon M. Phillips ◽

Catherine A. Lyons

Keyword(s):

High Volume ◽

Telephone Call ◽

Practice Characteristics ◽

Ambulatory Oncology ◽

Specific Practice ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

Oncology Practice ◽

Outpatient Appointments ◽

The Impact ◽

Call Volume

Purpose: A large component of ambulatory oncology practice is management of telephone calls placed to and from the practice between outpatient appointments. However, scant information is available in the literature concerning oncology practice telephone calls. The specific aims of this study were to define telephone call volume and distribution in an active ambulatory oncology practice, describe the callers and reasons for the telephone calls, and examine any differences in call volume by practice characteristics. Methods: A descriptive retrospective design was used to analyze medical oncology and hematology telephone calls in a 4-month period. Two investigator-developed tools were validated and used to collect data on telephone call content and patient demographics. Results: The sample included 5,283 telephone calls to or from 1,486 different individuals. Individuals making and/or receiving more than one telephone call in the study period represented 56% of the telephone calls. For every 10 scheduled clinic appointments, seven telephone calls were received or made. The volume of telephone calls was significantly higher on Mondays and in the mornings. The reasons for high-volume telephone calls by diagnosis and frequency were identified, with 30% of telephone calls involving multiple reasons. Conclusion: The data demonstrate the impact of telephone calls on ambulatory oncology practice and highlight the complex and highly variable actions required to manage the telephone calls. The findings confirm and document specific practice patterns and identify subgroups that target repeat telephone calls as an area for improvement.

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The Impact of Legislative Changes on the Number of Calls to the Romanian Covid 19 Telverde Helpline

Acta Medica Transilvanica ◽

10.2478/amtsb-2021-0002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 6-8

Author(s):

Mihai Buzatu ◽

Georgeta Dinculescu ◽

Florentina Ligia Furtunescu ◽

Dana Galieta Mincă

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

The State ◽

Green Line ◽

Ministry Of Health ◽

State Of Emergency ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

Legislative Changes ◽

The Impact

Abstract On 24th of February 2020, the Ministry of Health in Romania announced the operationalization of the Green Line, known as Telverde, within the National Institute of Public Health, in order to provide citizens with information related to the prevention of Sars-Cov-2 infection. The number of registered calls increased considerably at the time of the declaration of the pandemic, the beginning and the cessation of the state of emergency and during the issuance of military ordinances. Different key periods were studied and compared so that we could determine if the major administrative and legislative events have influenced the number of registered calls. Our findings sustained the supposition that the major events that took place during this period have indeed influenced the number of telephone calls made to TelVerde helpline.

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A Mobile Health Intervention for Prostate Biopsy Patients Reduces Appointment Cancellations (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.14094 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ashwin Sriram Balakrishnan ◽

Hao G. Nguyen ◽

Katsuto Shinohara ◽

Reuben Au Yeung ◽

Peter R. Carroll ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Prostate Biopsy ◽

Education Program ◽

Text Message ◽

Outreach Program ◽

Post Intervention ◽

High Patient Satisfaction ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND Inadequate patient education and preparation for office-based procedures often leads to delayed care, poor patient satisfaction, and increased costs to the healthcare system. We developed and deployed a mobile health (mHealth) reminder and education program for patients scheduled for transrectal prostate biopsy. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the impact of an mHealth reminder and education program on appointment cancellation rates, communication frequency, and patient satisfaction. METHODS We developed a text message-based (SMS) program with seven reminders containing links to web-based content and surveys sent over an 18-day period (14 days before through 3 days after prostate biopsy). Messages contained educational content, reminders, and readiness questionnaires. Demographic information, appointment cancellations or change data, and patient/provider communication events were collected for 6 months before and after launching the intervention. Patient satisfaction was evaluated in the post-intervention cohort. RESULTS The pre-intervention (n=473) and post-intervention (n=359) cohorts were composed of men of similar median age, racial/ethnic distribution, and living a similar distance from clinic. The post-intervention cohort had significantly fewer cancelled or rescheduled appointments (33.8% vs 21.2%, p<0.01) and fewer same day cancellations (3.8% vs 0.5%, p<0.01). There was a significant increase in pre-procedural telephone calls (0.6 vs. 0.8 calls/patient, p=0.02) in the post-intervention cohort, but not a detectable change in post-procedural calls. The mean satisfaction with the program was 4.5 out of 5 (SD 0.9). CONCLUSIONS An mHealth peri-procedural outreach program significantly lowered appointment cancellations and was associated with high patient satisfaction scores with a slight increase in pre-procedural telephone calls. This led to fewer under-utilized procedure appointments and high patient satisfaction.

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Adding to the Evidence Base: The Impact of Follow-Up Educational Telephone Calls on Patients after Radical Prostatectomy: Finding Value in Low-Margin Activities

Urologic Nursing ◽

10.7257/1053-816x.2012.31.2.92 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 92

Author(s):

Cynthia M. Sublett

Keyword(s):

Radical Prostatectomy ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

The Impact

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The Impact of a Standardized Discharge Process on 30-Day Readmissions for Patients on Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Treatment

Hospital Pharmacy ◽

10.1177/0018578720985434 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 001857872098543

Author(s):

Charnicia E. Huggins ◽

Tae Eun Park ◽

Eric Boateng ◽

Cosmina Zeana

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Treatment ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Hospital Readmissions ◽

Care Process ◽

Innovative Technology ◽

Post Discharge ◽

Parenteral Antibiotic ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

Voice Calls ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Outpatient parenteral antibiotic treatment (OPAT) is associated with shorter length of hospital stay and reduced cost. Yet, patients discharged home on OPAT are at risk of hospital readmissions due to adverse events and complications. Although the impact of a multidisciplinary approach to readmission has been assessed by previous studies, addition of an innovative technology has not been evaluated for OPAT. This study examines the impact of a multidisciplinary approach including automated voice calls on 30-day readmissions of OPAT patients. Methods: A post-discharge transitional care process (PDTCP) targeting OPAT patients was implemented in fall 2016. This process included an automated telephone patient engagement service and coordination among pharmacy, nursing, medicine, and social work personnel. The patients on OPAT received automated telephone calls at 2, 9, 16, 28, and 40 days post-discharge to ensure medication availability and adherence and to circumvent issues that would otherwise result in an emergency room visit or readmission to the hospital. Results: A total 429 voice calls were made to 148 patients from November 8, 2016 to February 28, 2019. Overall, 61% (n = 90/148) of the patients were successfully reached by the automated voice system. The patients who were reached by the automated voice system were less likely to be readmitted than those not reached (18.9% vs 41.4%; relative risk (RR) 0.46, 95% CI 0.27-0.77, P = .003). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach involving the use of automated telephone calls was associated with decreased hospital readmissions.

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Assessing the Impact of Nurse Post-Discharge Telephone Calls on 30-Day Hospital Readmission Rates

Journal of General Internal Medicine ◽

10.1007/s11606-014-2954-2 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 29 (11) ◽

pp. 1519-1525 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

James D. Harrison ◽

Andrew D. Auerbach ◽

Kathryn Quinn ◽

Ellen Kynoch ◽

Michelle Mourad

Keyword(s):

Hospital Readmission ◽

Day Hospital ◽

Post Discharge ◽

Readmission Rates ◽

Hospital Readmission Rates ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

The Impact

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The Impact of Federal Legislation to Limit Electronic Monitoring

Public Personnel Management ◽

10.1177/009102609702600205 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 227-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Paul S. Greenlaw ◽

Cornelia Prundeanu

Keyword(s):

Public Policy ◽

Electronic Monitoring ◽

Employee Performance ◽

Employee Rights ◽

Management Tool ◽

Policy Agenda ◽

The Public ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

Employee Groups ◽

The Impact

Organizations are increasingly using technology to electronically monitor employees' telephone calls, computer use and even their physical location. Electronic monitoring's popularity is largely driven by organizational security problems and the need to measure employee performance. However, there is growing concern, particularly among employee groups and some legislators, that guidelines are needed to ensure these technologies are used responsibly and do not infringe on employee rights. Additionally, the effectiveness of unlimited electronic monitoring as a management tool is being questioned. The Privacy for Consumers and Workers Act (PCWA) was drafted in response to these concerns, and has been vigorously debated in both the House and the Senate. This article will address key arguments raised both in support of and in opposition to this legislation. Although the PCWA did not become law, the complex issues raised by unrestricted electronic monitoring of employees are likely to remain on the public policy agenda.

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The Impact of Unions on the Voting Behavior of Their Members

ILR Review ◽

10.1177/001979398804100303 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 374-385 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Tom Juravich ◽

Peter R. Shergold

Keyword(s):

Presidential Election ◽

Voting Behavior ◽

Strong Influence ◽

Electronic Media ◽

Leadership Positions ◽

Union Leadership ◽

Telephone Calls ◽

The Impact

Based on a survey of members of AFL-CIO-affiliated unions in Pennsylvania, this paper investigates the influence of unions on how their members voted in the 1984 Presidential election. The authors find that unions had little effect on the number of members who voted but surprisingly strong influence on the Presidential choice of those who did vote. Union members who actively participated in their union, held union leadership positions, and reported that they had received literature or telephone calls about the election from their union were significantly more likely than other members to support the candidate endorsed by their union (Mondale). The electronic media influenced voting behavior significantly, but traditional forms of union communication were more influential than many believe.

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