Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Major

Nursing

Date of Defense

4-6-2012

Graduate Advisor

Dawn Lee Garzon, PhD, CPNP, FAANP

Committee

Deborah Kiel

Susann Faberman

Deborah Fritz

Abstract

Abstract Development of an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Primary Care Telephone Clinic This pilot project developed and implemented a telephone clinic based on established Veterans Affairs telephone policy and procedures and determined patient acceptability of this new visit type as an alternative to face to face visits. The review of the literature produced research that indicates telephone clinics are a viable visit option for patients. Telephone visits provide access to the primary care provider while being convenient and economical for patients. Research studies demonstrate that patients are satisfied with this visit option. The pilot project was successfully implemented in a Veterans Administration Community Based Outpatient Clinic. To evaluate the effectiveness of the project, cycle time measurements and patient satisfaction surveys for telephone visits and face to face visits were obtained. The telephone visits were found to have shorter provider visit wait times than patients having an in-clinic provider evaluation and also were found to have shorter provider visit durations than face to face visits. These findings did not affect patient satisfaction as patients who received telephone visits responded positively regarding their satisfaction with care. Overall, there was no statistical difference in patient satisfaction with patients who received telephone visits as compared to those who received a face to face provider visit. The telephone clinic improved clinic efficiency and provided more available appointment slots to care for more complex patients.

OCLC Number

785168599

Included in

Nursing Commons

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