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Inter-disciplinary Focus Groups on Telephone Medicine: A Quality Improvement Initiative
- Source :
-
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association . Sep2006, Vol. 7 Issue 7, p407-411. 5p. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- Objective: To identify opportunities for quality improvement in long-term care telephone medicine using a model of interdisciplinary focus groups. Design: Descriptive pilot project. Setting: Extended Care and Rehabilitation Center (ECRC), Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Participants: Eight of 20 registered or licensed practical nurses and 4 of 6 geriatric medicine fellows voluntarily participated in this quality improvement project. Measurements: In two 45-minute focus groups, participants were asked to discuss 3 open-ended questions related to telephone medicine. Comments were recorded during the discussions; topical themes were identified by the authors. Results: Participant comments could be categorized into 4 domains describing the characteristics of nurses and physicians who practice the best telephone medicine: (1) provides the appropriate medical component of patient care; (2) appreciates contextual issues; (3) respects the other party’s time and resources; and (4) possesses a collaborative attitude. The focus groups identified 5 quality improvement goals: (1) better nursing assessment and provision of patient information; (2) minimization of nonurgent calls after hours; (3) more decisive physician action (or explanation of inaction); (4) better physician familiarity with facility policies/logistics; and (5) better communication/paging system. The discussion format allowed nurses and physicians to identify and respond to potential barriers to improving quality in each area. Conclusion: Nurses and physicians appreciate unique aspects of long-term care telephone medicine and identify distinct barriers to improving practice. Interdisciplinary focus groups were a productive step toward understanding the telephone medicine experience in our facility and developing quality improvement interventions for both nurses and physicians. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15258610
- Volume :
- 7
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 22396416
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2006.01.023