Biomaterial Database

Strategies for reducing inappropriate after-hours telephone calls. 1988

S E Caplan, and J H Straus

Department of Pediatrics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Maryland 21215.

It is essential for pediatricians to allow telephone access after office hours, but the volume and the nature of such calls is occasionally resented. This study tests the hypothesis that employment of two interventional strategies could reduce the number of after-hours calls without an increase in emergency room visits. The interventions were: 1) an educational program; and later, 2) a recorded message that revealed the phone number for a second call to reach the pediatrician. The call rate remained the same before and after the educational intervention alone, but after the recorded message was inaugurated, the rate declined 28 percent. After-hours emergency room visits were similar before and after each intervention. This study suggests a simple strategy to modestly reduce after-hours calls.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008722	Methods	A series of steps taken in order to conduct research.	Techniques,Methodological Studies,Methodological Study,Procedures,Studies, Methodological,Study, Methodological,Method,Procedure,Technique
D010372	Pediatrics	A medical specialty concerned with maintaining health and providing medical care to children from birth to adolescence.
D003142	Communication	The exchange or transmission of ideas, attitudes, or beliefs between individuals or groups.	Miscommunication,Misinformation,Social Communication,Communication Programs,Communications Personnel,Personal Communication,Communication Program,Communication, Personal,Communication, Social,Communications, Social,Miscommunications,Misinformations,Personnel, Communications,Program, Communication,Programs, Communication,Social Communications
D004630	Emergencies	Situations or conditions requiring immediate intervention to avoid serious adverse results.	Emergency
D005069	Evaluation Studies as Topic	Works about studies that determine the effectiveness or value of processes, personnel, and equipment, or the material on conducting such studies.	Critique,Evaluation Indexes,Evaluation Methodology,Evaluation Report,Evaluation Research,Methodology, Evaluation,Pre-Post Tests,Qualitative Evaluation,Quantitative Evaluation,Theoretical Effectiveness,Use-Effectiveness,Critiques,Effectiveness, Theoretical,Evaluation Methodologies,Evaluation Reports,Evaluation, Qualitative,Evaluation, Quantitative,Evaluations, Qualitative,Evaluations, Quantitative,Indexes, Evaluation,Methodologies, Evaluation,Pre Post Tests,Pre-Post Test,Qualitative Evaluations,Quantitative Evaluations,Report, Evaluation,Reports, Evaluation,Research, Evaluation,Test, Pre-Post,Tests, Pre-Post,Use Effectiveness
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001291	Attitude of Health Personnel	Attitudes of personnel toward their patients, other professionals, toward the medical care system, etc.	Staff Attitude,Attitude, Staff,Attitudes, Staff,Health Personnel Attitude,Health Personnel Attitudes,Staff Attitudes
D013689	Telephone	An instrument for reproducing sounds especially articulate speech at a distance. (Webster, 3rd ed)	Switchboard Service,Service, Switchboard,Services, Switchboard,Switchboard Services,Telephones
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D014505	Urban Population	The inhabitants of a city or town, including metropolitan areas and suburban areas.	Urban Residence,Urban Spatial Distribution,Distribution, Urban Spatial,Distributions, Urban Spatial,Population, Urban,Populations, Urban,Residence, Urban,Urban Populations,Urban Residences,Urban Spatial Distributions