Since I have been on home txs, I have had to play phone tag and it’s become like a full-time job. I must deal with the clinic, the machine co., the medical supply co, the shippers and the postal services. All of these businesses call me when it’s convenient for them, but inconvenient for me. I call them and usually get voice mail. I have to hold onto my tx questions all day long or longer. They don’t usually call back promptly. By the time they finally do call back, I forget half of what I wanted to discuss with them and I get the call when I am in the bath tub, eating supper or driving on the interstate. So, I’d like to know if anyone has any suggestions for coordinating calls?
I have one nurse who allows me to email my questions/concerns to her. That’s a pretty good system, but let’s say I bring up 3 concerns. Well for some reason, she will always skip 1. Most ppl I deal with in dialysis are frazzled. Ever tried dealing with a frazzled person? First I have to attempt to unfrazzle them before communication can take place. It’s an ongoing problem to get tx concerns handled. Any ideas?
Here are some suggestions of ways to make sure that you get answers to the questions that you have.
When you call anyone, give a number where you can be reached and when the best time to return the call would be. Make sure it’s at a time that you’ll have time to talk and be where you can write down the answers.
Keep a notebook (loose leaf or spiral) and add questions to it as you think of them. Use dividers to divide the notebook into questions to ask the home training nurse, the doctor, the dietitian, and the social worker. Leave space after each question to have room to write what you’re told.
If your home training nurse and/or other dialysis staff and the supply company customer service person have email, ask if you can email your questions and ask how long it normally takes them to answer. This will keep all the questions and answers in the same email and (hopefully) you’ll get responses to all of your questions in a timely fashion.
Sorry to hear of your frustrations with PHONE TAGS… It seems as though whenever we want information that is priority #1 for us it usually is not the same priority for the person that you want the information from… so the delay…
Think if you have an emergency that requires a response immediately you should get that response … Discuss this with your Clinic’s Nurse and get her to agree to such terms. We have a 24hr emergency number and it has a nurse that is on stand-by that will answer the emergency. Have used them on Holidays/Three day weekends. Blew a fuse on the Freni… Tech not available… Set-up a Saturday in center treatment…Had to drive 25+ miles but did get a TX…and machine was repaired on Monday…
As far as supplies If you can get them to give you an email address where you can place the order it is much easier than trying to call it in… you can send it in anytime… I usually get my order sent in late at night after they have gone home… I just request that they send me email back confirming the order and give me the delivery date and time…
also get the shipping information… Carrier… Tracking Number… delivery service contact number with shipping information. Because it is a hard copy you can always review it… Not like a phone conversation which can be easily forgotten.
Doctors are another thing… they are too busy at times and may get back with you if the office staff/nurse reminds them to call you… If it is an emergency just go the the Hospital that the DR is affilated with and the emergency room staff will contact the Dr…
like Beth has stated… Keep a log of your problems and when you do get to talk to a live person you can review what you wanted to ask them and write the answer for later review.
I usually write my problems on the back of our daily run sheets…and later transfer it to a log file that is handy to have if you have a repeat problem.
Reduce the stress of phone tag and holding for a live person or being called at the wrong time…Be proactive and do what works best for you…Try email