Affiliation:
1. Ottawa Health Research Institute, Canada
2. Ottawa Health Research Institute and the University of Ottawa, Canada
Abstract
This chapter highlights how an interactive voice response system (IVRS) may be used to improve quality of care problems associated with ambulatory care. The authors provide examples of quality problems, related to access, effectiveness, and safety, and describe how an IVRS may be used to reduce them. The chapter is also comprised of a comprehensive examination of published literature describing studies that have used IVRS interventions. The majority of these studies used an IVRS to manage patients with chronic disease or change behavior related to preventive medicine. Finally, the authors discuss potential implementation issues, including technological requirements of the IVRS, project management, and scalability of the IVRS.