How safe is telenursing from home?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the work of telenurses working from home with that of their colleagues working in a health call centre. DESIGN: A retrospective review of existing clinical and other data. SETTING: NURSE-ON-CALL, the telephone triage and advice line operated for the Department of Human Services, Victoria by McKesson Asia Pacific. SUBJECTS: Nurses employed by McKesson Asia Pacific, Victoria, Australia working in their call centre and from home. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison between nurses working from home with those working in the centre: demographics and dispositions of callers, management of mystery callers, frequency of risk incidents, productivity, and satisfaction. RESULTS: Callers sought triage for the same range of symptoms and were triaged to similar dispositions; mystery callers were managed similarly; there were a similar number of risk incidents. Nurses working from home were more productive, took fewer days sick leave and had a lower attrition rate. Nurses working from home identified more flexible hours and less travel as advantages. No disadvantages were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses who worked from home were provided with adequate education for their role, full technological facilities, decision support software, ready access to supervision and continuing education. They managed a similar range of cases as nurses working in a health call centre, did so as safety, were more productive and expressed high levels of satisfaction.

Universal telenursing triage in Australia and New Zealand - a new primary health service.

BACKGROUND: Most Australian and all New Zealand residents now have 24 hour access to free telephone advice and symptom triage. Australasia is following an international trend triggered by a perceived need for standardised advice, demand management (primary care and emergency department), and equity of access. A growing literature describes the impact of this new service on existing primary health services. OBJECTIVE: This article summarises the results of telephone triage projects in Australia and New Zealand to acquaint Australian general practitioners with nurse led telephone triage services that have health call centre technology. DISCUSSION: Australian and New Zealand services are similar with respect to the demographics of callers, when they call, and the issues on which they seek advice. Further study is needed in order to understand how telenursing can best be integrated with general practice and other primary care services.