Presentation
DH8 - Statistical Analysis of Patient Phone Call Logs at a Pediatric Clinic
DescriptionBackground and Objectives
For many patients, the phone call interaction may be the first impression for the clinic. Pediatric healthcare is complex, and in the case of pediatrics, the parent or guardian may be calling the provider on behalf of the patient. The first phone call to the clinic marks the beginning of the information transfer between the family and the healthcare provider. A patient’s level of care depends on the necessary information being transferred from the family member or guardian to the clinic staff. Unsuccessful information transfers negatively influence patient care and family satisfaction, thus impacting patient-centered care. Especially in pediatrics, the patient and guardian should have a positive clinic experience, thus improving family-centered care. While it is important to encourage family-centered care in a pediatric clinic, it is also important to ensure the staff is put in the position to succeed by understanding what factors influence their performance to best process phone calls. To support the best outcomes for patient satisfaction, it is important to quantify and understand the overall phone call volume and workload is at a pediatric clinic to then identify areas where phone calls may be improved. Therefore, the objective of this work was to perform quantify and understanding the phone call volume and trends at a pediatric clinic. A statistical analysis was performed to investigate the difference in the number of calls per day, the differences in call frequency between times of day, and understand any differences in the duration of the phone calls.
Methods
A retrospective study of phone call log data was analyzed for a pediatric clinic in Stillwater, OK, Stillwater Pediatrics. The nine weeks of call logs were analyzed to determine any trends in the data for the time, day, and duration of the phone calls. Phone logs were cleaned and modified to allow for appropriate statistical analyses to be performed. To assist in the analysis for differences in the frequency of calls during certain times of day the calls were categorized into three groups: (1) morning (i.e., 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, (2) afternoon (i.e., 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM), and (3) after hours (i.e., 5:00 PM – 8:00 AM). The phone calls were further categorized into day of week and duration was recorded. A Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to determine any differences in the number of calls per day overall, and a negative binomial regression model was used to determine if there were any differences between days of the week or time of day.
Results and Discussion
Results of the Kruskal-Wallis test suggest that there was a significant difference in the number of calls per day (χ2 = 45.87, p < .001). The multiple comparison test revealed that there was a significant difference in the number of calls for three weekdays: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and the weekend days: Saturday and Sunday. There were no statistically significant differences in the comparisons between the weekdays (i.e., Monday through Friday) and no differences found between the calls received on Thursday or Friday and the weekends. Results of the negative binomial regression model suggests a significantly fewer calls received on Saturday ( p < .001) and Sunday (p < .001) compared to Friday. There were no significant differences between the calls received on Friday and other weekdays. Additionally, there were significantly more calls during the morning (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, p < .001) and afternoon (12:00 PM – 5:00 PM, p < .001) time periods compared to after normal business hours (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM). Lastly there were significantly fewer calls in the phone room compared to other locations in the clinic (p = .003).
For many patients, the phone call interaction may be the first impression for the clinic. Pediatric healthcare is complex, and in the case of pediatrics, the parent or guardian may be calling the provider on behalf of the patient. The first phone call to the clinic marks the beginning of the information transfer between the family and the healthcare provider. A patient’s level of care depends on the necessary information being transferred from the family member or guardian to the clinic staff. Unsuccessful information transfers negatively influence patient care and family satisfaction, thus impacting patient-centered care. Especially in pediatrics, the patient and guardian should have a positive clinic experience, thus improving family-centered care. While it is important to encourage family-centered care in a pediatric clinic, it is also important to ensure the staff is put in the position to succeed by understanding what factors influence their performance to best process phone calls. To support the best outcomes for patient satisfaction, it is important to quantify and understand the overall phone call volume and workload is at a pediatric clinic to then identify areas where phone calls may be improved. Therefore, the objective of this work was to perform quantify and understanding the phone call volume and trends at a pediatric clinic. A statistical analysis was performed to investigate the difference in the number of calls per day, the differences in call frequency between times of day, and understand any differences in the duration of the phone calls.
Methods
A retrospective study of phone call log data was analyzed for a pediatric clinic in Stillwater, OK, Stillwater Pediatrics. The nine weeks of call logs were analyzed to determine any trends in the data for the time, day, and duration of the phone calls. Phone logs were cleaned and modified to allow for appropriate statistical analyses to be performed. To assist in the analysis for differences in the frequency of calls during certain times of day the calls were categorized into three groups: (1) morning (i.e., 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, (2) afternoon (i.e., 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM), and (3) after hours (i.e., 5:00 PM – 8:00 AM). The phone calls were further categorized into day of week and duration was recorded. A Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to determine any differences in the number of calls per day overall, and a negative binomial regression model was used to determine if there were any differences between days of the week or time of day.
Results and Discussion
Results of the Kruskal-Wallis test suggest that there was a significant difference in the number of calls per day (χ2 = 45.87, p < .001). The multiple comparison test revealed that there was a significant difference in the number of calls for three weekdays: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and the weekend days: Saturday and Sunday. There were no statistically significant differences in the comparisons between the weekdays (i.e., Monday through Friday) and no differences found between the calls received on Thursday or Friday and the weekends. Results of the negative binomial regression model suggests a significantly fewer calls received on Saturday ( p < .001) and Sunday (p < .001) compared to Friday. There were no significant differences between the calls received on Friday and other weekdays. Additionally, there were significantly more calls during the morning (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, p < .001) and afternoon (12:00 PM – 5:00 PM, p < .001) time periods compared to after normal business hours (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM). Lastly there were significantly fewer calls in the phone room compared to other locations in the clinic (p = .003).
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeMonday, March 254:45pm - 6:15pm CDT
LocationSalon C
Digital Health
Simulation and Education
Hospital Environments
Medical and Drug Delivery Devices
Patient Safety Research and Initiatives