Reference no: EM133734012

Read the following case study and then answer the questions about it.

"... a phone-based nurse triage service, which was built to reduce pressure on emergency services and is free to the public. Callers go through a triage process over the phone with a registered nurse who will advise the patient on whether they should remain at home, see a doctor, or go to the emergency department. Approximately 400 registered nurses with clinical experience work for the service. The work is conducted solely remotely, from each nurse's home office. After initial co-located training, all contact with the organisation takes place via phone, email, and instant messaging. Nurses receive a setup comprised of computer, headset and phone system; video conferencing is rarely used except by managers. Access to the nurses' work context was facilitated by the organisation's senior managers, who were interested in nurses' views on working remotely and their use of a new software system guiding the triage process. Overall, twelve nurses and three managers were interviewed for this study. Given the focused nature of our study and the homogenous nature of the work tasks among the nurses this number was deemed sufficient. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with these employees over the phone. This arrangement suited our participants, as they were accustomed to discussing complex matters via the phone. Interviews were recorded and later transcribed. A total of 16 hours of material was collected. Additional discussions with managers and a demonstration of the triaging software informed our understanding of the case context, which was instrumental in facilitating and making sense of conversations with nurses. The interviews were very candid, with participants offering rich accounts of and reflections on their activities, feelings, and practice. Through this process we learned that triaging over the phone requires considerably different skills to those needed in hospital wards. Detailed visualisation of the caller's situation required enhanced listening skills and the capacity to "take charge" by using voice in a skillful manner. The work that went into figuring out this new way of nursing was significant, as was the challenge of dealing with setbacks and difficult calls. Nurses not only emphasised the stresses and challenges of the job but also regarding the use of technology in connecting with one another during shifts. Most would log on to an instant messaging group chat at the start of their shift to make "small talk" with their colleagues. While they would rarely meet in person fixed rosters allowed nurses to get to know each other online." (Hafermalz&Riemer, 2016, p. 3-4).

Question 1:
What are the barriers that nurses needed to overcome in this remote care set-up to be successful in delivering quality care?

Question 2:
How might you work to mitigate one or more of these barriers?

Question 3:
What are some of the benefits of the remote care program?

Question 4:
Based on the case study, if you could work to improve one aspect of the remote collaboration of the program, what would it be and why?