Caring attributes exhibited by nurses in a telephonic environment

As nurses increasingly interact with patients remotely in such environments as call centers, an understanding of the nurse's sense of the ability to deliver caring in these environments requires exploration. The purpose of the research was to explore the telephonic nurse's sense of caring as measured by the Nyberg Caring Assessment Survey (CAS). As well, two free text open-ended questions were appended to the survey which asked about the differences between telephonic/remote care nursing and the choice made by the telephonic nurse to practice in this care delivery mode. A sample of telephonic Registered Nurses (n = 108) working primarily in a call center environment comprised the sample. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the caring attributes and free-text entries were analyzed through content analysis. The primary findings from this study were twofold. First, telephonic nurses were able to demonstrate caring attributes in their practice. Eighty percent or more of the telephonic nurses often or always used twelve of the twenty caring attributes. The three caring attributes always used in practice were: (1) have deep respect for the needs of others, (2) remain sensitive to the needs of others and (3) communicate a helping, trusting attitude toward others. The caring attribute, consider relationships before rules, was least commonly used in practice. Second, Focused Attention: Giving full attention to the patient, was a major theme extracted from the open-ended question on caring. This theme referred to the nurse's ability to focus on unique individual's health needs without constant system interruptions. This theme was supported by four patterns related to autonomy, information advocacy, patient empowerment and telelistening/telehearing skills.;Findings support and recognize the ability of nurses working remotely with patients to demonstrate caring attributes, the ability to be sensitive to the needs of others and to provide nursing care that is targeted and meaningfully directed to one individual at a time. This study has important implication for nurses in telephonic practice, the retention of nurses in the workforce, and for academic institutions responsible for the preparation of future nurses. With the increasing number of telehealth opportunities, more nurses will practice in both face-to-face and virtual environments to provide patient care. It is incumbent upon researchers to continue to explore the consequences of these new care delivery systems on nurses as well as patients.