Implantación de una consulta telefónica a demanda en atención primaria
- Nerea García Granja
- Elpidio García Ramón
- Alba Hidalgo Benito
- María Hernández Carrasco
- Sara Leticia de la Fuente Ballesteros
- Irene García Álvarez
ISSN: 0214-8986
Year of publication: 2018
Volume: 7
Issue: 2
Type: Article
More publications in: Medicina general
Abstract
Objective. The accessibility of primary care consultations has been established as a determining factor in the quality of health care. This paper analyzes the implementation of a telephone consultation service on patient’s demand in a primary care consultation. Material and methods. The telephone consultations carried out from October 2013 to September 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The profile of the patients, the type of consultation performed and the pathologies to which it refers, the need for a face-to-face visit and the receipt of attached documentation were analyzed. Results. 1,059 telephone consultations were received during a period of 48 months. The telephone consultation represented 4.95% of the on-demand consultations. The average age was 59 (SD 17) years old. 93.6% of the consultations were made by the patients and the rest by relatives or caregivers. By subject, 290 consultations (27,38%) were of clinical nature, 413 (38.99%) referring to results and 261 (24.64%) on administrative and bureaucratic matters. Patients older than 65 years of age consulted more frequently for clinical reasons (52.9% versus 33.1%, p < 0.003). Conclusion. Telephone consultation in primary care provides a useful resource for improving accessibility. It has been demonstrated that this means of communication is capable of solving problems of different kinds and in different age groups.