Telephone support: a descriptive study in an Italian oncological Day-Hospital ward

The past decade has been seen widespread use of telephone and computer technologies to provide a broad array of health behaviours intervention and health services. The purpose of this study is to explore the frequency and the reasons about telephone using in an Italian Day Hospital oncological ward. The study was conducted in 2008 throughout a questionnaire filled by nurses that receive patients telephone calls. We analyzed 100 hours of nurses' work corresponding to about 13 days. The mean of daily calls was 30.5 (SD=6.4). 72.2% were calls effectuated on the morning, the others in the afternoon. Nurses spent 13% of their shiftwork time on telephone: 6.97 hours for calls regards directly patients and 5.8 hours for service calls. General information and information on tests results were the more frequent motivations of patients' calls. The study stress major workload for nurses in telephone answers. A significant patient demand emerged that should be addressed also identifying specific hours during the day.