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Use of protocols and guidelines by telephone nurses
Ann M Mayo1, Betty L Chang, Anna Omery
1Kaiser Permanente, California Division, USA.
Clinical Nursing Research
|May 7, 2002
Summary
Registered nurses (RNs) providing telephone advice had protocols available for most calls, but their usage varied. Protocol availability was negatively related to nursing process quality and did not impact patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Health Services Research
- Healthcare Delivery
Background:
- The evolution of healthcare delivery includes telephone advice services, impacting nursing practice and patient care perception.
- Understanding resources, care processes, and patient outcomes for nurses in telephone advice roles is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the availability and use of protocols by telephone advice registered nurses (RNs).
- To examine the relationship between protocol availability and use, nursing process quality, and patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study analyzing 203 taped calls to 32 advice RNs and 156 patient follow-up calls.
- Measures included protocol usage, nursing process quality, and patient outcomes.
Main Results:
- Protocols were available for 78.8% of calls, but 63.9% were not fully utilized by nurses.
- A significant negative relationship (r = -0.395, p < 0.000) was found between protocol availability and overall nursing process quality.
- Protocol availability and use did not demonstrate a significant effect on patient outcomes.
Conclusions:
- While protocols are often available in telephone advice settings, their inconsistent use may influence nursing process quality.
- Further research is needed to optimize protocol implementation and its impact on both nursing practice and patient results.