Survey on Handling Telephone Consultations at a Kampo Outpatient Clinic in Japan - Difficult Consultations and Their Handling by Outpatient Nurses

Abstract

Aim: In order to clarify how nurses respond to telephone consultations a Kampo medicine outpatient clinic, a fact-finding survey was conducted on the difficulties involved handling telephone calls. Methods: The subjects were two outpatient nurses. The contents consultations that the nurse could not handle alone were extracted from the descriptive data the telephone calls that each nurse was not able to handle and categorized. Guidelines developed conjunction with physicians were introduced to clarify and address the causes the difficulty. One year later, we again administered the telephone response survey so as to compare the results with those the first survey. Results: Telephone consultations that were difficult for nurses to handle were classified into four categories: 1) consultations about physical disorders, 2) questions about prescribed Kampo medicines, 3) reports and questions based on the patient's own judgment, and 4) questions about treatment and hospitalization. The questions about Kampo medicines related to their continued administration and mix-ups drugs, and the questions based on patients’ self-judgments related to the reduction of or change in Kampo medicines. One year later, the number such cases declined to less than half, and no telephone consultations were made within one week after the first visit. Conclusion: As a result the creation and introduction guidelines consultation with physicians, outpatient nurses are now able to answer questions and receive fewer phone calls after patients’ first visits.