Patient Satisfaction With Telephone Nursing

Abstract

Background: Studies of patient satisfaction with telephone nursing can provide a better understanding of callers' needs and inform the improvement of services. Purpose: This study described patients' experiences and perceptions of satisfaction with telephone nursing. Methods: The design was nonexperimental and descriptive, with an inductive approach. Data were collected using open-ended questions in a questionnaire that was dispatched to 500 randomly selected callers to the Swedish Healthcare Direct in Northern Sweden. Results: Patients' satisfaction with telephone nursing was related to calm, clarity, and competence. Calm referred to the nurse remaining calm and composed during the call. Clarity was described as distinct, concrete, and practical advice on how to act, what to observe, and where to seek further assistance. Competence referred to both health care knowledge and caring skills. Conclusion: These aspects of nursing are dependent on each other and on-call telephone nursing services, which value patient satisfaction need to target all 3.

Role of interaction for caller satisfaction in telenursing—A cross‐sectional survey study

“…Caller satisfaction rates were greatest for affective support. The supportive effect of calls is recognised by callers (Gustafsson et al, 2020; Moscato et al, 2007) but also by telenurses who describe job satisfaction when callers are obviously relieved during conversations (Barbosa & Silva, 2017; Kaminsky et al, 2009; Yliluoma & Palonen, 2020). The fact that affective support received the highest scores is still somewhat surprising, given that prior RIAS analysis of authentic telenursing conversations in the same setting have revealed that telenurses tend to avoid discussions about affective reactions.…”

“…This component includes factors such as caring, active listening, inviting in participation and providing hope (Batbaatar et al, 2017), factors that also emerge in a telenursing context. Callers appreciate that nurses stay calm and composed during calls (Gustafsson et al, 2020), and nurses who perform active listening in a friendly and respectful manner (Ström et al, 2009). Fulfilment of expectations of nurses' active listening skills, clarity in advice and collaboration on decisions also contributes to satisfaction (Moscato et al, 2007).…”

Quality indicators in telephone nursing – An integrative review

“…In Sweden, telephone nurses answer approximately 4.1 million calls per year through the country's largest healthcare provider, the national TN service Sweden Healthcare Direct (Inera, 2020) and similar TN services are found in many other countries. TN is a complex task where the nurse must be able to work independently and make decisions about referrals, level of care and provide self‐care advice (Gustafsson et al, 2019). But for TN to be considered reliable and safe, systematic quality work in needed to constantly improve and develop the service.…”

“…An observandum are patients that make repeated contacts to the Sweden Healthcare Direct (SHD). Closed‐ended questions, talking to someone other than the patient and failure to listen to the patient have been identified as potential threats to patient safety (Ernesäter et al, 2010, 2012), while calm and clear communication has been described by patients as reassuring (Gustafsson et al, 2019).…”

“…Verbal interactions form the foundation of TN, and the lack of visual information such as body language, facial expressions and gestures complicates the communication (Eriksson et al, 2019). This requires that the nurses possess both extensive medical knowledge and caring competence to satisfactorily identify and meet patients’ needs (Gustafsson et al, 2019). According to Wahlberg et al (2003), the key to safe TN is accurate decision‐making.…”