title: Use of Nurses in Tele-Consultation for Patients in Remote Areas.
abstract: There is poor penetration of trauma healthcare delivery in rural areas. On the other hand, mobile penetration in India is now averaging 80% with most families having access to mobile phone.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of tele-consultation by nurses using an integrated call centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective observational study carried out over a 6-month period at a level I trauma Center in New Delhi, India. Patients called the call centre and the specially trained call centre staff answered the calls who handled their simple queries, if they were unable to respond, the call was directed to the nurse informatics specialist on duty responded to their queries with the help of senior residents who were posted in emergency department. The nurse informatics specialist documents a tele-consult note in CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total 150 calls, 64 calls were diverted to the nurse informatics specialist (NIS). Of the 64 calls received by the NIS 55 (85%) were rectified by the nurses at their level and 9 calls (14%) were further discussed with the concerned doctors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As shown by our case study, call centers can be used for tele consultation with the help of nurse informatics specialist.
authors.affiliation: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Metilda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robin
authors.affiliation: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Teenu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.affiliation: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Agrawal
mesh_terms: D000070456:Call Centers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007194:India; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D048108:Nursing Informatics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D064694:Rural Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review