A survey of telephone nurses' experiences in their encounters with frequent callers

The aim of this study was to describe telephone nurses' experiences of their encounters with frequent callers to Swedish Healthcare Direct.

A descriptive inductive design with qualitative approach.

Data collection was performed during the period of September 2017 - June 2018. A total of 199 telephone nurses working at 10 Swedish Healthcare Direct sites with different geographical locations in Sweden answered a survey containing seven open-ended questions. Data analysis was performed during the period of September 2018 - June 2019. The answers were analysed using content analysis.

The telephone nurses perceived that the encounters with frequent callers were sometimes frustrating as they felt unable to help. According to the telephone nurses, the frequent callers called about the same issues several times and the calls were often about loneliness and psychiatric problems. The telephone nurses were worried about missing something urgent; one of the aspects leading to this was the perception of knowing the caller. They expressed a wish to know more about frequent callers and strategies for helping them. A common care plan for frequent callers' calls was suggested.

Telephone nurses often found it difficult to handle calls from frequent callers. However, they had a will to care for frequent callers and to learn more about them. Therefore, a common strategy, education and training for telephone nurses in answering calls from frequent callers could be beneficial for both callers and telephone nurses.

This study offers insights to researchers, telephone nurses and managers of telephone nursing, regarding telephone nurses' experiences in handling frequent caller calls. These findings can offer direction for the content of a possible intervention.