The telephone nursing dialogue process: an integrative review

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Communication

Background:

• Telephone nursing, including triage and advice, is a clinical practice in Sweden.
• The telephone nursing dialogue process structures communication for safe assessment and advice.
• Evidence supporting this method requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the scientific basis of the phases of the telephone nursing dialogue process.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review was conducted.
• Literature searches were performed in August 2023 across PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, and SwePUB databases.
• Sixty-two articles were included and data categorized according to the five phases of the telephone nursing dialogue process.

Main Results:

• All five phases of the telephone nursing dialogue process (Opening, Listening, Analyzing, Motivating, Ending) are supported by scientific literature (32-50 articles per phase).
• The phases detail nurse-caller interactions, including establishing rapport, active listening, information assessment, providing advice, and concluding the call.
• Specific actions within each phase, such as safety-net advice and mutual agreement, are described.

Conclusions:

• The phases of the telephone nursing dialogue process are well-supported by scientific literature.
• The findings align with theoretical descriptions of the telephone nursing dialogue process.