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Telephone Service (telephone + service)
Selected AbstractsRelated factors in using a free breastfeeding hotline service in TaiwanJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2008IBCLC, Shu-Fang Wang RN Aims., This study aimed to examine the use of a free hotline service for breastfeeding mothers in Taiwan. Specific attention was given to the accumulated consultation time and to investigate the trends and reasons that prompted people to contact the service. Background., Breastfeeding can be a difficult time for mothers, especially during the first two weeks after birth. It has been suggested that a telephone hotline service may be helpful for breastfeeding mothers. Design., In this quantitative study data, including the demographic data and the problems of consultations, were gathered from callers during August 2003 to August 2005. Results., Of the 2445 callers, 935 made subsequent calls (38·2%). Approximately 25·25 calls were answered each day by two specially-trained staff according to an answering book. The mean consultation time for single first-call was 21·82 minutes and for one subsequent-call was 15·87 minutes. Perceived insufficient milk supply (30%) and returning to work (21%) were the top two reasons for a first-call. If callers' problems were about babies' sickness, perceived insufficient milk supply, babies' body weight gain and supplement issues, the accumulated consultation time would last longer. More than half (53·3%; 1303/2445) of callers made the first-call during the first month after birth, followed by 23·2% (566/2445) during babies' age between one and three months old. Conclusion., The telephone hotline service for breastfeeding mothers in Taiwan was well used during the two year period of this study. Many mothers used the service repeatedly for a variety of reasons. Relevance to clinical practice., Recommendations for breastfeeding support strategies for the professionals include category of common breastfeeding problems by different stages after birth. This study supports the establishment of free hotline services may encourage greater empowerment in breastfeeding mothers. Future studies are required to examine client satisfaction of the telephone service. [source] Modelling the development of supply-restricted telecommunications marketsJOURNAL OF FORECASTING, Issue 4 2001Towhidul Islam Abstract A large proportion of the world telecommunications market can be characterized as supply restricted. In ITU (1999) official waiting lists numbered about 50 million worldwide with an average waiting time of two years. More than 100 countries had not eliminated the waiting list for telephone connections and hence a supply restricted market prevailed in all of these countries. Only about 25 countries have succeeded in eradicating their waiting list for basic telephone service. In terms of the pattern of diffusion, the subscriber's flow from waiting applicants to adopters is controlled by supply restrictions adding an important dimension that needs to be addressed when modeling and forecasting demand. An empirical analysis of the diffusion of main telephones in 46 supply-restricted countries is presented to demonstrate the usefulness of a three-stage Bass model that has been proposed to capture the dynamics of supply restrictions. We also compare the forecasting ability of different approaches to estimation when panel data are available. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Travel Insurance Claims Made by Travelers from AustraliaJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2002Peter A. Leggat Background: Little is known about travel insurance claims made by travelers returning from abroad. This study was designed to investigate travel insurance claims made by travelers from Australia, particularly examining demographic factors, type of travel insurance coverage, nature and duration of travel, when treatment was sought during travel or when the problem arose, use of emergency assistance, nature of claim, and claim outcome, including cost. Methods: A random sample of approximately one in five claims reported during the period 1996 to 1998 to a major Australian travel insurance company were examined. Results: A total of 855 claims were examined, of which 42.6% (356/836) were made by male travelers and 57.1% (477/836) were made by female travelers. The majority of claimants were in the 55 years and over age groups (445/836, 53.2%). Medical and dental conditions accounted for 66.6% of claims (569/854), with the remainder associated with loss, theft, and damage (285/854, 33.4%). The most common medical conditions were respiratory (110/539, 20.4%), musculoskeletal (90/539, 16.7%), gastrointestinal (75/539, 13.9%), ear, nose, and throat (67/539, 12.4%), and dental conditions (39/539, 7.2%). Only one case of venous thrombosis was reported, secondary to a lower limb infection. Use of the travel insurance company's emergency telephone service was reported in 17.1% of claims (146/853). Almost two-thirds (559/853, 65.5%) of claims were fully accepted. Those who claimed medical treatment, assault, and theft were significantly more likely to have their claims accepted compared to those claiming dental conditions, cancellation, curtailment, loss and damage (,2= 127.78, df = 40, p < .00001). The majority of medical and dental conditions did not require further medical investigations (427/569, 75.0%). The mean cost of claim refunds was Australian dollars (AUD)991.31 (standard deviation [SD] ± AUD5400.76) for males and AUD508.90 (SD ± AUD1446.10) for females. Claims for assault, cancellation, and curtailment were significantly more expensive than other types of claims (Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance [ANOVA]; ,2= 106.87, df = 8, p < .00001). Claims for treatment of gastrointestinal, cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal conditions, and pyrexias of unknown origin were significantly more expensive than other medical and dental claims (Kruskal-Wallis one way ANOVA; ,2= 61.68, df = 15, p < .00001). Conclusions: This explorative study highlights the importance of travelers taking out appropriate travel insurance. Claims for medical and dental conditions represent the majority of travel insurance claims made by Australian travelers returning from abroad, although travel insurance also covers against such contingencies as loss, theft, and cancellation. The most common medical conditions claimed were respiratory, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal disorders. Travelers should be advised to take out appropriate travel insurance before departure overseas and to take care with preexisting medical and dental conditions, which may not be able to be claimed against travel insurance. [source] Children's experiences with chat support and telephone supportTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 6 2009Ruben G. Fukkink Background:, In line with the wider trend of offering support via the Internet, many counseling and referral services for children have introduced online chat, often in addition to a traditional telephone service. Methods:, A comparative study was conducted between the telephone service and the confidential one-on-one online chat service of the Dutch Kindertelefoon. The design included a concise pretest and a posttest (n = 902). The study also comprised a follow-up test (n = 213), which included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results:, Children experienced a higher sense of well-being and a reduced severity of their problems after consulting the Kindertelefoon. The results were slightly more favorable for the chat service than for the telephone service. The follow-up survey showed that many of the children who contact the Kindertelefoon suffer from relatively severe emotional problems. Conclusions:, Both the telephone and the web-based support improved the children's well-being and decreased their perceived burden of problem. The results of this study underline the need for closer cooperation between child helplines and mental health and child welfare services. [source] | ||||||||||