Managing Difficult Callers

Happy New Year to all. As I sit here, thinking about how to make a difference in the New Year, and how to motivate others do the same, the first thing that comes to mind is managing difficult callers. I am sure that anyone who has done triage for very long can think of at least one instance of dealing with a difficult person.
I personally feel these callers do not intentionally set out to be rude and to make our lives hard. By the time they have reached us, most of the time, there has been a series of events that have led to frustration, and the caller just wants to know they are being heard. It does nothing but increase their frustration if the nurse does not take a moment to really listen to their concerns. When I get one of these callers, I stop, take a deep breath and give them a moment just to be heard. The next step that I have found to be effective is to apologize. Sure, I have nothing to apologize for personally, but I want the caller to know that I am sorry they have not been treated the way they feel they should have. If I can then fix the issue for them, I do. If I cannot, I explain to them why I can’t, and at the same time, offer them some advice on how they can approach the issue for the best resolution possible. All the while, I assure them that their concerns will be documented and encourage them to follow up with their physician’s office the next business day.
One of the worst things the nurse can do is say, “I know how you feel”. Unless you have walked in that person’s shoes, you could not possibly know how they feel. We also need to remember, that even though we may have experienced similar circumstances, we are not the caller, and everyone handles every situation different. Sharing personal information about having gone through similar situations can sometimes be appropriate if you think it will reassure that caller and make them not feel so isolated, but never give them advice that would contradict protocols or procedures.Also, never give advice that does not show cohesiveness with their physician's office.
Dealing with problem callers is very draining mentally and emotionally, but after all, when we took the Florence Nightingale pledge as nurses, we promised to do our best to care for our patients. Even though no one likes these kinds of calls, we need to stop and remember these are people with real needs, or they would not be calling. What seems minor to us, could be a mountain to them.
Wishing everyone a healthy, blessed 2014. Make it year to make a difference to someone.

Review for the Flu Season Ahead

With the upcoming flu season just around the corner, triage nurses everywhere are preparing for the busy season ahead. Most people overcome the flu with little complications, but we must keep in mind those that are at higher risk and what we, as nurses, can do to recognize signs of complications and give the most appropriate advice to decrease the risk to the patient.

Those that are at highest risk include:

*Children under age 2

*Adults over age 65

*Persons with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension alone), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus) or neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions (including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy [seizure disorders], stroke, intellectual disability [mental retardation], moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury)

* Persons with immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV infection

* Women who are pregnant or postpartum (within 2 weeks after delivery)

*Persons aged younger than 19 years who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy

*American Indians/Alaska Natives

* Persons who are morbidly obese (i.e., BMI is 40 or greater); and

* Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities.

Calls, where the patient falls into one of the above categories, and they are exhibiting flu like symptoms should be high priority, and would be candidates for anti-viral medications. For these medications to be most effective, they should be started less than 2 days of onset of flu symptoms. Patients should be encouraged to consult their physician’s office by the next day to discuss this treatment. However, if the office is closed, the nurse may often find themselves contacting the physician on the patient’s behalf to get treatment started immediately.

In addition to giving the usual advice for fevers, hydration, and minor upper respiratory symptoms, we should be educating callers on warning signs or red flags that could indicate more severe symptoms that they should seek immediate medical attention for. These symptoms would include very high fevers, fevers that are not responding to medications, increased weakness and lethargy, decreased levels of responsiveness or confusion, signs of dehydration, and labored breathing. I cannot stress education enough. If the caller and/or patient are armed with the necessary information they need, they are more likely to recognize early warning signs and seek further treatment more readily, thereby decreasing mortality and morbidity rates.

The Teaching Role

            Nurses take what is foreign to the patient, put into perspective, and make it understandable and less frightening (Benner, 2001). This sums up ninety percent of my job, as a telephone triage nurse, on any given day. Patients call about various symptoms and illnesses, and are looking for explanation and guidance on what they need to do. Often they are worried, frightened, or just plain lost in the huge medical care system. Many of the calls we get are an acute crisis, but sometimes, they call because they want a nurse to explain to them what the doctor did not.

The socioeconomic class of callers varies. Many are college graduates and understand basic medical terms, and others never finished high school. These callers have to be taught in basic terms that a seventh-grader would comprehend. The nurse has to make a basic assessment of the caller’s understanding in the first minute or two of the call.

In determining a critical situation in my own practice, I cannot think of a particular one, but there are a particular group of callers that I enjoy teaching. Those are parents of young children with croup. These parents call alarmed and worried, because their child is experiencing respiratory difficulties. They don’t understand why. Often, they are walking out the door to the ED when the call is placed. It is a job well done when you can talk them off the ledge, and help them to understand croup is a common childhood illness, and most times, the child does well with simple homecare advice.

Callers/patients need and want to know why you are giving the education that you are (Benner, 2001). They are much more likely to comply with instructions if they understand the rationale behind it. Our role, as a teacher, is to help them understand their situation. That is exactly how I teach croup parents. I help them understand why their child is making this terrible noise, symptoms of severe distress, and treatment they can provide at home to give symptom relief. I then follow-up with them about thirty minutes later to assess for improvement, and give other instructions if need be. The parents are appreciative of the care and education, and it gives them a sense of control over the situation, to know they can manage the situation. They also know that they are not alone, and they can pick up the phone and call for support at any time.

Reference

Benner, P. (2001). From novice to expert: excellence and power in clinical nursing practice (Commemorative Ed.) Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Humbling Experiences

            As a supervisor for a telephone triage company, I encourage the members of our team to put themselves in the caller’s perspective. It is so easy to get into a routine of dealing with the same types of calls, shift after shift, and become insensitive to the caller’s needs. However, I am very conscious of that fact that they would not call if there in fact, were not a need. No matter how small the problem may seem to us, as a nurse, it could be a mountain to them.

            Our team of nurses is exceptional in that they often go beyond normal procedures to meet the caller’s needs. The care they demonstrate in treating each caller as an individual is phenomenal, and it shows in so many ways, demonstrating that the smallest effort can change the call’s outcome. One of our nurses shared an experience with us recently that shows this level of compassion:

Humbled...And Forever Changed

It was shortly after 8am when I received a call from a Mom regarding her 5 year old son who had started with Croup that morning, exacerbating his Asthma. I could tell Mom was very well versed in the symptoms of Croup/Asthma as well as the treatment. As our conversation continued, She told me she had been up all night, and that her son was doing well with steamy showers, cool air and Albuterol Nebulizer Treatments. She was exhausted and concerned that her child had needed steroids in past, and she was hoping to get the first morning appointment so they could get some rest. I explained to this Mom that this particular office did not give us appointments to book early, nor did they have walk in hrs. Based on that, I told her the office protocol asked that parents call the office after 830am for appointments. No sooner had I said that did I hear Mom again say "Please Miss Can You Help Me?" Mom went on to further state, “My son and I have been up all night. We are very tired, and my daughter is receiving Hospice Care at our home. If you could set up this appointment, it would be immensely helpful to us all.”

 The tears filled my eyes for this Mom and her family, at which point I did what any other nurse would have done, and telephoned the back line of the office. The office was able to give the mom the first morning appointment, and with her Provider. When I relayed this to her, she was very appreciative. I ended the triage call with this mom, and as the tears streamed down my face, I thought, you just never know the road another is walking on the other end of the telephone line...

It took just a couple of extra minutes of this nurse's time to make a difference to this mother, and the nurse realized her value to the callers that day. Amazing, even though we are not at the bedside of the patient, or even in the same room, we can still make a difference.

It's All About Education

     I find that so many nurses become so dependent on the protocols, that they go through each shift with blinders on. Yes, protocols are a huge part of what we do every day, but the one thing that will reassure the caller and prevent multiple call backs in a shift is education.
     We have a duty to educate the caller as to why we are giving the advice that we are. Most people are much more likely to follow the advice they are given if they are given an explanation as to why. And, if a nurse sounds reassuring that he or she is confident in the advice they are giving, the caller is much more likely to take them at face value. If the nurse sound like they are reading from a script or unable to give explanations, the caller is going to be unsettled and more likely to call again or ask to speak with the physician.
     The best way to become a good educator? Know your protocols first. You cannot give reassuring advice if you have no idea what the protocol says. Take some time to familiarize yourself with them. Keep yourself educated and informed on the latest trends and treatments for various illnesses. Follow the CDC as they track new diseases and patterns of illness. Read the updates in periodicals and magazines. Familiarize yourself with new medications that hit the market.
     One great way to keep abreast of the latest trends in telephone triage is to be a member of AAACN. Read their monthly newsletters. Most every month, there is a something for the telephone triage nurse.
     To be an effective telephone triage nurse you cannot be stagnate. It is a constantly changing field, and the callers expect the nurses to be informed and provide them with the answers they need. There is also nothing wrong with saying you don't know the answer, but you will certainly do everything you can to help them find the answers.  Then, make every effort to do so. They will appreciate your honesty and sincere desire to help them in their time of need.