Hennell Sheena, Spark Eileen, Wood Barbara, George Emmanuel
Wirral Hospital NHS Trust, Merseyside, UK.
Musculoskeletal Care. 2005;3(4):233-40. doi: 10.1002/msc.13.
The aim of the study was to examine the impact on waiting times and patient satisfaction of nurse-led rheumatology telephone clinics.
Patients awaiting outpatient review were contacted by the rheumatology clerk and offered a nurse-led rheumatology telephone appointment. Those who accepted were given a date and time for the appointment. A telephone consultation proforma was used to structure the call and to organize appropriate investigations/action. A questionnaire was mailed to the 68 patients reviewed during the first month of the telephone clinics to assess satisfaction. Status forms were also completed to record further action.
Of the 68 patients surveyed 73% completed and returned the questionnaire. Overall 72% were happy with the telephone consultation and would be happy to use the service again. Waiting times were reduced by two months as a total of 169 patients were reviewed during the April to August period.
Nurse-led telephone consultation, as part of chronic disease management, can be extremely beneficial for all rheumatology patients as a high level of satisfaction was achieved. In addition telephone consultations have helped to reduce the follow-up waiting times within the department by two months. This audit shows that telephone appointments conducted by an experienced nurse using an assessment proforma can be incorporated into routine follow-up care.
本研究旨在探讨护士主导的风湿科电话门诊对候诊时间和患者满意度的影响。
风湿科文员联系等待门诊复诊的患者，为其提供护士主导的风湿科电话预约。接受预约的患者会得到预约的日期和时间。使用电话咨询模板来组织通话并安排适当的检查/行动。向电话门诊第一个月内接受复诊的68名患者邮寄问卷以评估满意度。还填写了状态表以记录进一步的行动。
在接受调查的68名患者中，73%完成并返还了问卷。总体而言，72%的患者对电话咨询满意，并愿意再次使用该服务。由于在4月至8月期间共对169名患者进行了复诊，候诊时间缩短了两个月。
作为慢性病管理的一部分，护士主导的电话咨询对所有风湿科患者都极为有益，因为患者满意度很高。此外，电话咨询有助于将科室的随访候诊时间缩短两个月。本次审计表明，由经验丰富的护士使用评估模板进行的电话预约可以纳入常规随访护理。
