Use of Nurses in Tele-Consultation for Patients in Remote Areas

There is poor penetration of trauma healthcare delivery in rural areas. On the other hand, mobile penetration in India is now averaging 80% with most families having access to mobile phone.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of tele-consultation by nurses using an integrated call centre.

This was a prospective observational study carried out over a 6-month period at a level I trauma Center in New Delhi, India. Patients called the call centre and the specially trained call centre staff answered the calls who handled their simple queries, if they were unable to respond, the call was directed to the nurse informatics specialist on duty responded to their queries with the help of senior residents who were posted in emergency department. The nurse informatics specialist documents a tele-consult note in CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System).

Of the total 150 calls, 64 calls were diverted to the nurse informatics specialist (NIS). Of the 64 calls received by the NIS 55 (85%) were rectified by the nurses at their level and 9 calls (14%) were further discussed with the concerned doctors.

As shown by our case study, call centers can be used for tele consultation with the help of nurse informatics specialist.