Launching a Statewide COVID-19 Primary Care Hotline and Telemedicine Service

Cheng, Anthony; Angier, Heather; Huguet, Nathalie; Cohen, Deborah J.; Strickland, Kellen; Barclay, Emily; Herman, Eric; McDougall, Craig; Biagioli, Frances E.; Pierce, Kam; Straub, Carliana; Straub, Bennett; DeVoe, Jennifer E.

doi:10.3122/jabfm.2021.s1.200178

Cited by 9 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…As Table 1 shows 18 Studies were undertaken in the Asia (India [ 36 – 43 ], China [ 30 , 44 – 47 ], Qatar [ 48 , 49 ], Bangladesh [ 50 ], Indonesia [ 51 ], Nepal [ 52 ]), 11 in the North America (United States [ 17 , 20 , 29 , 31 , 53 – 58 ], Dominican Republic [ 59 ]), 10 in the Europe (Austria [ 60 ], France [ 61 ], United Kingdom (UK) [ 62 , 63 ], Slovenia [ 64 ], German [ 65 ], Ireland [ 66 ], Poland [ 16 ], Serbia [ 67 ], Spain [ 68 ]), 3 in Africa (Tunisia [ 69 ], Egypt [ 70 ], Uganda [ 71 ]), and 1 in South America (Bolivia [ 22 ]). Among them, 11 studies were published in 2020, 11 in 2021, 9 in 2022, and 12 in 2023, and a summary of them is presented in Table 1 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned

Eslami Jahromi,

Ayatollahi,

Ebrazeh

2024

BMC Public Health

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Background During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of hotlines/helplines/call centers was implemented to provide remote services and support public health. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, challenges and lessons learned of implementing Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers during the pandemic. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest databases as well as Google Scholar were searched between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2023 to retrieve relevant articles published in English. The quality and risk of bias of the studies were assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS), the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Checklist. Results In total, 43 out of 1440 articles were included in this study. About half of the hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in March 2020 (n = 19). Providing psychological support (n = 23), reliable information about Covid-19 (n = 10), healthcare advices about Covid-19 (n = 8), and triage (n = 7) were the most common purposes of implementing these services. The most common challenges included a lack of physical examination, unavailability of hotlines/helplines/call centers at the point of need, and delay in updating Covid-19 information. The most common lessons learned were employing qualified staff, providing proper training, and getting feedback from the callers and operators. Conclusion According to the results, most of the Covid-19 hotlines/helplines/call centers were launched in the early months of the pandemic, and about half of them were active seven days a week. Most of the operators were mental health providers and clinicians. The findings show the importance of continuous psychological support during crises, particularly when adequate information about the situation is not available. The challenges experienced by the callers and operators as well as the lessons learned by the service providers also need to be considered for future crises to increase the effectiveness of similar services.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Cheng et al’s study, the results showed that the assessment of a phone line for Covid-19 primary care in Oregon state met the public’s need for information and access to primary care. The findings demonstrated that further investigations on the factors influencing the success or failure of this strategy are necessary [ 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned

Eslami Jahromi,

Ayatollahi,

Ebrazeh

2024

BMC Public Health

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“…Nurses have been effective in managing statewide hotlines during influenza outbreaks (Spaulding et al, 2012). During this current COVID-19 pandemic, triage nurses helped steer mildly sick patients away from the ED and relieved burden on primary care providers (Cheng et al, 2021). Nurse leaders also rapidly shifted protocols to provide nursing not having a smartphone or computer in the home, and "lack of perceived inability to learn" to use the technology (Huang et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19

Squeri

Gayton

Huang

et al. 2022

Home Healthcare Now

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The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic caused suspension of physician home visits at our NYC home-based primary care practice as well as disruptions in community-based services homebound patients rely on. This produced gaps in care for a vulnerable patient population that is considered underserved and medically and socially complex. Telephone triage nurses at Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program responded to these gaps in care with targeted enhancements to telephonic patient assessment: creating an encrypted email address to receive photographs, the use of two Epic dot phrases to screen and educate regarding COVID-19, assessment of patients' ability to complete a video visit, the reassessment of goals of care, and the assessment of changes in home care services. We surveyed 15 attending physicians in our practice to evaluate primary care providers' opinions regarding changes in nurse telephone triage and how helpful they were in managing patients at home during the early pandemic. We found enhancements to nurse telephone triage were viewed by physicians as beneficial, valuable, and improved patient care. Physicians found changes improved timeliness of care, could improve self-management, helped avoid transfer to emergency department, and helped manage patient care at home. As the pandemic continues and telehealth becomes more widely used, nurse telephone triage may be adaptable to help care for a variety of patient populations during future public health emergencies.

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“…22 23 This has been implemented in some countries, where COVID-19 hotlines had been initiated to tackle any questions or issues regarding the pandemic from concerned citizens of all backgrounds. 24 25 26…”

Section: Recommendations and Insights For The Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…22,23 This has been implemented in some countries, where COVID-19 hotlines had been initiated to tackle any questions or issues regarding the pandemic from concerned citizens of all backgrounds. [24][25][26] It is also essential to ensure the availability of proper infrastructure and resources that can accommodate health information platforms and services. 22 This is especially important in marginalized communities, where access to electricity and Internet is not as easy.…”

Section: Recommendations and Insights For The Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging Health Disparities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mheidly

Fares

et al. 2022

Avicenna J Med

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored social and racial discrimination in global health, showing that health equity is still a goal to be achieved. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on public health potential is vital to present a fair opportunity for people of different backgrounds to be as healthy as possible. As such, this communication discusses the emerging health disparities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzes their implications. Original research, effective health communication, and promotion strategies ought to be leveraged to step closer toward national and international health equity.

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Launching a Statewide COVID-19 Primary Care Hotline and Telemedicine Service

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned

Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned

Meeting the Challenges of COVID-19

Emerging Health Disparities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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