Telephone triage: identifying the nature of the high volume of telephone calls disrupting workflow in a pediatric ambulatory care setting

Purpose of Project: In order to mitigate the adverse effects of excessive disruptions in workflow caused by a high volume of telephone calls, identifying the nature of these disruptions crucial. The focus of this project was to evaluate and identify the nature of the telephone calls being placed to Pediatric Rheumatology and Gastroenterology ambulatory care sites at a large medical site in New Jersey. The high volume of calls being handled at these sites are taking away from patient and provider time, causing delays in care, and can hinder safe, quality, and effective medical care. Methodology: This evaluation project utilized secondary data analysis of telephone call log data associated with Pediatric Rheumatology and Gastroenterology ambulatory care sites at a comprehensive pediatric medical center in New Jersey. Retrospective call log data collection facilitated the review of relevant information that was used to identify and classify the nature of calls. Results: Of the 128 calls that were logged from August 2020-September 2020 at the Pediatric Gastroenterology ambulatory care site, the common classifications for calls were: patients seeking medical advice, seeking their lab results, prior authorization encounters, prescription questions, and medication refill requests. Telephone communication encounters that required the longest handling time included callers inquiring about the status of a medical order, calls concerning the prior authorization process, and calls regarding scheduling. Of the 805 nurse handled calls that were logged at the Pediatric Rheumatology ambulatory care site from September 2020 -August 2020, the most common classifications for calls were: regarding patient lab results, patients seeking medical advice, patient follow up calls after treatment, and prescription refill requests. Telephone communication encounters that required the longest handling time included patient demographic updates, calls concerning the prior authorization process, scheduling, and review of lab results. Implications: The findings of this project can assist future clinical practice by providing insight as to the type of call patterns and themes that may be experienced in similar practice settings. The complex and multifaceted natures of these call trends demonstrate the need for a multilayered approach to improve practice.DNPIncludes bibliographical reference