Tele-health: lessons and strategies from specialists in poison information

Objective: The use of the telephone for providing healthcare is growing. The aim of this exploratory study was to describe tele-health lessons and strategies as discussed by specialists who provide information and recommendations on poison control hotlines.

Methods: Three focus groups of 25 participants who work as specialists in poison information in poison control centers were conducted. Group discussions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Themes that emerged from the data on strategies for telephone communication include: taking control of the call, developing a therapeutic relationship, tailoring communication to fit each caller, preventing information overload, confirming caller understanding, and hands-on training for the development of telephone communication skills.

Conclusion: Specialists in poison information identified challenges specific to communicating with patients over the telephone and reported several types of strategies they used to manage them.

Practice implications: Telephone communication training may be needed to assist health care providers in improving their communication skills.