Continued help in lending direction: a proposed nurse to nurse communication system.

Abstract

Continuity of care is dependent on effective patterns of communication. Currently useful patterns of communications are nonexistent between the nursing staffs of tertiary medical centers and community hospitals. Nurses in community hospitals have difficulty obtaining discharge data regarding a child's admission to the tertiary center. In order to promote continuity of care between health agencies, Continued Help in Lending Direction (C.H.I.L.D.) has been proposed to assure a statewide telecommunication system between nurses at tertiary centers and community hospitals. Through the use of the hot-line, nurses in outlying hospitals will immediately be able to obtain information from the pediatric tertiary center if a child is later seen in the emergency room or admitted to the community hospital.This article proposes a communication network that would allow nurses working in hospitals throughout a state or region to have direct contact with a pediatric medical center through the simple process of dialing the...