title: [French national survey on incoming phone calls in oncology departments].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oral therapies have shifted the follow-up of patients with cancer from hospital to home. As a consequence, the number of incoming calls has increased. To understand the source, reasons, management and burden of calls, we underwent a French national survey. The objective was to describe the way calls are managed in oncology departments.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a prospective survey in a representative sample of French oncology specialists using oral therapies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 51 participating onco/radiotherapy departments, 86 % of specialists were oncologists or hematologists and 14 % radiation oncologists. Eighty percent were from public centers and 20 % from private ones. The median number of calls/week was 110. Sixty-six percent of calls were from patients and families and 23 % from general practitioners. Upon calls reception by the secretaries, half of them corresponded to a medical question. Sixty-five percent of centers did not have an established specific procedure and 70 % of responders did not specifically train their teams to address the management of calls. Sixty-five percent of the specialists spent more than 30min/day. Most of them considered it disturbing medical activities. Sixty-six percent of patients calls were related to adverse effects of treatments. Twenty-two percent of specialists declared at least one severe adverse effect linked to misinterpretation of a call.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the increase of oral therapies, incoming phone calls represent an important burden of work. To improve calls management, adaptations of organizations are needed.
authors.affiliation: Centre François-Baclesse, 3, avenue du Général-Harris, 14000 Caen, France. Electronic address: f.joly@baclesse.unicancer.fr.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.affiliation: Institut de cancérologie Lucien-Neuwirth, 108 bis, avenue Albert-Raimond, 42270 Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, France.
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guillot
authors.affiliation: Hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, 20, rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Yann-Alexandre
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Vano
authors.affiliation: Centre d'oncologie de Gentilly, 2, rue Marie-Margingt, 54000 Nancy, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spaeth
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Saint-Éloi, 80, avenue Augustin-Fliche, 34090 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Topart
authors.affiliation: Pfizer, 23-25, avenue du Dr-Lannelongue, 75014 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roffet
authors.affiliation: CHI du Pays de Cognac, 65, avenue d'Angoulême, 16112 Cognac cedex, France.
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: El Amarti
authors.affiliation: Clinique Pasteur-Lanroze, 32, rue Auguste-Kervern, 29200 Brest, France.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hasbini
authors.affiliation: Centre Léon-Bérard, 28, rue Laennec, 69008 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Aude
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fléchon
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005190:Family; D005602:France; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006405:Hematology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000072103:Oncologists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000072378:Radiation Oncologists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Adverse effects; Ambulatoire; Effets indésirables; Oral treatments; Organisation; Organization; Outpatients; Régulation; Telephone triage; Thérapies orales; Téléphone