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Dissertation
Development of a Hospice Patient and Family Telephone Nurse Call Center and Assessment of Nurse Expectations
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2011
Abstract
Best practices in hospice care strive for excellence and continuity of care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A challenge is presented to hospice providers when needs occur after business hours and during weekends. Telephone nursing to complement direct patient care may provide benefits both to the patient and the organization. The purpose of this study was twofold—to examine the planning process and development of a pilot call center for patients and families of Covenant Hospice during night and weekend hours that complements, enhances, and supports existing patient care and to analyze administrative and clinical staff expectations for a call center. The participatory action research model was used as a framework to provide a plan for a call center pilot project with development input from key personnel. A survey questionnaire was administered to examine staff expectations for a telephone nurse call center. Participants of this study were administrative and clinical staff of the Daphne, Alabama branch of Covenant Hospice. Forty-two administrative and clinical staff were invited to participate by completing a 10-question survey using a 5-point Likert-type scale. This survey also included 2 open-ended questions designed to examine functions this staff consider important to include in a weekend and after-hours telephone nurse call center. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies, means, and narrative responses and examined by administrative and clinical groups to report findings of the study outcomes. Findings of the study yielded favorable expectations of a call center for both groups; the administrative group reported overall higher ratings than clinical group ratings. Reported discrepancies in ratings between the groups were greatest for pain management and equipment/supply needs questions. Highest ratings for both groups were reported for the call center benefit to patients and nurses; lowest ratings for both groups were reported for the call center benefit to hospice information and staff communication. As need for hospice care is anticipated to increase over the coming decades, the results of this study of the introduction of hospice call centers have implications for hospices seeking to improve quality patient care while managing costs.
Details
- Title
- Development of a Hospice Patient and Family Telephone Nurse Call Center and Assessment of Nurse Expectations
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 140
- Copyright
- Permission granted to the University of West Florida Libraries to digitize and/or display this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires the permission of the copyright holder.
- Identifiers
- 99380090748206600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida