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A comparison of after-hours telephone calls concerning ambulatory and nursing home patients
A Perkins1, R Gagnon, F deGruy
1Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile 36604.
Background:
This study documents the frequency and nature of after-hours telephone calls to a university-based family practice, with special attention to those calls from or about nursing home patients.
Methods:
All after-hours telephone calls to a free-standing family practice training program that were made during the 6 months between July 1991 and January 1992 were recorded and classified.
Results:
Of the 821 calls recorded, 81 included telephone calls from nursing home patients. Nursing home patients, who constitute about 1% of the practice, were responsible for 10% of the calls (P < .001). Nursing home patient calls were more likely to occur on weekends (P = .013) and were more likely to be for physician notification purposes (P < .001).
Conclusions:
Nursing home patients generate a disproportionately large number of after-hours calls. These calls are more likely to occur on weekends and less likely to require physician action. This is a considerable hidden practice burden that needs to be taken into account when planning practice coverage.