Nursing protocol for telephonic supervision of clients

Access to care, client vulnerabilities, technology, and health costs affect not only the delivery of health care but also the roles, responsibilities, and opportunities for nurses. Patients are often managed in the home or discharged from hospitals before they or their families are ready. To address some of these needs, nurses are utilizing telehealth opportunities. For many nurses, telehealth translates to telephonic nursing. This article provides an algorithm that nurses can utilize in order to safely monitor patients in their homes. This can be a cost-effective program, particularly for those who are homebound or for persons, such as the elderly or those with chronic illness, who have long-term needs that vary between relative health and acute illness. This algorithm serves as a guide in our nursing practice for the telephonic supervision of patients in the home environment.