- Positivity – “Come down and we’d be delighted…..”
- Incentives – Seen faster / No delay
- Politeness & open-mindedness (professionalism)
- Good communication skills – Ensuring that the patient understands what you’re talking about
- Clarification is essential
- Who’s problem ( Why me? Why now?)
- Consider medico-legal aspects
- Confidentiality – Is this the patient ? If not why not ?
- Be flexible
- Reward good behaviour
- Keep options open
- Address anxiety
- Explain plan – “If no better…then contact us again”
- Give patient options
Telephone vs. face to face
| Telephone |
Face-to-face |
- History only
- No previous relationship
- Knowledge of past medical history
- Not necessarily talking to patient
- More difficult to establish rapport
- Easier to put people off
- Easier to push dr’s agenda
- Difficulties of being recorded (this changes the very nature of the consultation)
- More difficult to assimilate information
- Difficulty interpreting symptoms & signs
- Deal with a greater workload
- Easier when patients only want reassurance
- May speed decision making in acute situations
- Patient expectation – people expect visits
- Misunderstandings may occur
- What if no phone?
- Difficulties less if own dr.
|
- Face to face
- Opportunity to examine
- Body language / physical pointers
- Easier to communicate wheh have all other aspects (visual contact etc.)
- Harder to avoid the problem
- Easier to establish rapport & empathy
- Can observe other aspects (social / family)
- ? Encourages dependence on face to face contacts whereas advice may encourage self-reliance
|
Telephone Triage Techniques
More on telephone triage (this page)
Stages of the telephone consultation
Using telephones in primary care Peter D Toon BMJ 2002;324 1230-1231
