Nursing by phone: 21st Century care

New ideas for health care are coming up all the time and one of them that involves Registered Nurses and their expertise is the telephone service offered by Capital Health Link in Edmonton. The Link means that parents at home with a sick child can call the toll free number to speak with a Registered Nurse about a fever or other symptoms that are worrying them. The nurse can respond with some comforting advice to a new parent that involves a home remedy to try or a suggestion that the child (or adult) be taken to see a physician right away. According to the Capital Health Website:

"Capital Health Link is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week telephone health advice service answered by Registered Nurses that anyone in the Capital Health region can access. Their goal is to give health care consumers a greater role in managing their own health so they can make informed decisions about their health situations and what health care resources to use from their own homes . The result is a more knowledgeable public, few hospital visits and healthier communities.

Both the website and phone service let them find out about Capital Health services, get information on a wide range of health topics, or find a family doctor who is taking new patients. The phone service also gives them an opportunity to speak personally with a Registered Nurse, access their immunization records, praise Capital Health staff or make a complaint."