- Chelsey Pieretti
- 7 minutes read
When it comes to staffing a call center, from clinical research screening to a patient liaison-type service for a commercial drug, it could be tempting for companies to seek out low-engagement, automated options, or simply recruit and train a customer service representative. These options could be seen as more cost-efficient and/or requiring a less intensive recruitment effort that draws from a wide pool of candidates. The key element those alternatives don’t provide, however, is the faith and trust that is instilled in a caller when a patient knows they are speaking to an adept professional with years of experience caring for patients like them. For many, that most trusted voice is that of a skilled nurse.
Why Trust Matters in Patient-Facing Call Centers
Faith in nurses is not only supported by anecdote, but is continually proven year after year in survey statistics. In a 2025 Gallup poll on Honesty and Ethics in various professions, 76 percent of adults believed that nurses are honest and have high ethical standards. In fact, out of the 23 professions listed, nursing ranked first, topping even associated healthcare positions, such as medical doctors or pharmacists, by roughly 20 percentage points. Even more incredible is that nursing has maintained the highest rank in the poll every year, except for one year (with a well-deserved and understandable concession to firefighters in 2001), since the role first appeared in the survey in 1999.
Think about it, who puts you at ease when you are nervous or overwhelmed at a doctor’s appointment? Whether you’re simply fighting a cold or there to discuss a more serious condition, it’s your nurse who guides you through the office, calmly takes your vitals, and gets you situated and comfortable while you wait to speak to a doctor. The sentiment rings true even more so in the hospital, where most of your daily interactions and care will be facilitated by the nursing staff. They are the ones who will advocate for you when you are one patient amongst many. These experiences engrain the role of a nurse in our minds as a faithful caretaker: someone we can trust at our most vulnerable, someone who will be there when we need them, someone who will not just hear us but actively listen to what we are saying.
The Heart of Commercial PSPs
Dana Gurst, a registered nurse of 6 years, endorsed this relationship when I spoke with her about her current role as a Senior Nurse Access Specialist and Training Leader on a commercial patient support program. Prior to her current telephonic support role, Gurst worked in Med/Surg, home healthcare, and in a specialty physician’s office.
“[It’s about] hearing what they are saying or maybe not ‘saying’. Whether it’s maybe reading between the lines – fears they may have or simply just needing more education or direction,” said Gurst. “We want to be their support. So many of our patients don’t have family or friends who are always there to assist. By providing dependability, consistency…being genuine and good at what we do, our patients can build trust and rapport that allow for an overall great experience.”
For commercial patient support programs, this nurse-patient relationship can be further strengthened by a technology platform that is designed to ensure that every patient is assigned to a specific nurse. In this scenario, every time a patient calls back in or needs a follow-up to a previous milestone or appointment, they will speak to the same nurse who is familiar with their personal record. This allows for a familiarity to build over the phone in the same way it could in an office or hospital setting. Adherence to treatment plans can be a complex and multi-faceted issue, but making sure a patient feels comfortable and well-supported is moving the needle in the right direction.
Streamlining Clinical Research Recruitment
Call center nurses can be equally impactful on a clinical research screening program. Their medical training allows for a better understanding of study protocols, which would likely be an arduous read for many outside of the healthcare space. Though screening scripts require IRB approval and do not allow for any triage or medical advice, a nurse’s familiarity with the healthcare terms and medications they will need to speak about makes for a more seamless, white-gloved experience. Furthermore, having an experienced chart review nurse on your team can prove indispensable when the study’s sites need an added layer of screening ahead of referral. These nurses can efficiently collect and review patients’ medical records against the study’s inclusion/exclusion criteria, reducing the burden on a busy site staff by exclusively referring patients whose answers and records validate prequalification. This type of role also serves as an invaluable point of connection for patients who are still in the early stages of recruitment and may be undecided or confused.
“My ability to build relationships facilitates effective communication and collaboration between patients and families, ensuring coordinated care through the clinical trial process,” said Maribeth Boyle, who’s been in nursing for 30 years. Prior to her current position as a telephonic Nurse Case Manager on a rare disease clinical research project, she worked in surgical services in the operating room and as a nurse manager.
On her most recent project, over half of the patients randomized into study treatment were referrals she made to the study. In addition to her diligence, part of her success can be attributed to the regard she gives her patients. She is adept at communicating each patient’s individual situations and concerns to the clinical trial management team, whether it involves travel issues, scheduling miscommunications, test results, or more personal matters.
“Feeling understood and receiving respectful treatment contributes to a positive experience and increases satisfaction,” said Boyle.
That sense of considerate and impactful connection reaches beyond just patients, though. Telephonic nurses working on a clinical research project can also support outreach efforts to healthcare providers. In the rare disease space, particularly, it can be uniquely challenging to build awareness for a study when the population is small and/or varied in demographics. In these cases, direct outreach to doctors who treat rarer conditions can be a very helpful supplementary effort to your main marketing campaign. And when a nurse oversees this outreach, equipped with talking points and available resources for interested doctors, they can more easily navigate common barriers to communication. They are already well-versed in connecting with physicians, fellow nurses, and office staff. When you combine their familiarity with like-minded professionals and their deeper understanding of the subject matter, it makes for a conversation that flows more easily and a greater likelihood for further interest.
No matter what your product or service is, who is representing it is equally important. This is a truth that applies to various niches of healthcare, but is especially true in a call center, where face-to-face human interaction is out of the equation. Give your patients the peace of mind of knowing that there’s a trained professional—a skilled, devoted nurse—on the other end of their call. Your patients deserve that intentional choice to elevate their experience. As technology makes it easier to outsource and automate, let’s choose to prioritize trust and human connection where it matters most.