Can A Virtual Clinic Review Replace A Surgical Clinic Visit After Discharge?

NCT03067220 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: ConnollyHB
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 209
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

To assess if a virtual out patient clinic via a telephone review was an acceptable and safe alternative to a clinic attendance for a broad range of general surgical patients discharged following a hospital admission.

Conditions

Outpatients General Surgery Virtual Clinic

Keywords

outpatients; general surgery; virtual clinic; patient satisfaction

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The primary outcome was the rate of complications or on going issues requiring further assessment in either group.

  Any unexpected outcome reported by the patient if contacted by telephone or reported and assessed by a doctor on their review at a standard clinic appointment. This would be expected to be an issue resulting in a deviation from a normal and expected post discharge recovery.

  At each patients review appointment approximately 6 weeks after discharge.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Secondary outcomes included a "did not respond" (DNR) or did not attend (DNA) rate

  At each patients review appointment approximately 6 weeks after discharge.

• The number of patients listed for further procedures, investigation or referral to other specialities based on their review.

  At each patients review appointment approximately 6 weeks after discharge.

• Patient satisfaction and opinions regarding their follow up arrangements

  6-8 weeks after their review appointment

Study Arms (2)

Standard outpatient clinic appointment

OTHER

Patients will be sent an appointment letter to return to a scheduled outpatient clinic for review approximately 6 weeks after their discharge from hospital

Other: Standard outpatient clinic appointment

Virtual out patient clinic appointment

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients will be sent an appointment letter stating a specific day approximately 6 weeks after their discharge from hospital in which they will be contacted by telephone for a review by a junior doctor from the discharging team.

Other: Virtual outpatient clinic appointment

Interventions

Virtual outpatient clinic appointment OTHER

Patients will be sent an appointment letter stating a specific day approximately 6 weeks after their discharge from hospital in which they will be contacted by telephone for a review by a junior doctor from the discharging team.

Virtual out patient clinic appointment

Standard outpatient clinic appointment OTHER

Patients will be sent an appointment letter to return to a scheduled outpatient clinic for review approximately 6 weeks after their discharge from hospital

Standard outpatient clinic appointment

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Over 16 years old
• Could provide written consent
• Comprised one of four categories based on reason for admission
• Category 1 - minor surgery
• Category 2- elective or emergency surgery such as appendicectomy, hernia repair, thyroidectomy
• Category 3- admitted for investigation or management of conditions such as non specific abdominal pain, head injury, cellulitis
• Category 4- attended for surveillance endoscopy for conditions such as colonic polys or Barrett's oesophagus

You may not qualify if:

• Declined to participate
• Had a previous, new or suspected diagnosis of malignancy
• On-going issues requiring follow up such as wound healing problems
• Required further investigation such as endoscopy after admission with e.g. diverticulitis.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown: lead

Study Sites (1)

Connolly Hospital

Dublin, Ireland

Location

Related Publications (8)

• McVay MR, Kelley KR, Mathews DL, Jackson RJ, Kokoska ER, Smith SD. Postoperative follow-up: is a phone call enough? J Pediatr Surg. 2008 Jan;43(1):83-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2007.09.025.

  PMID: 18206461 BACKGROUND

• Allgar VL, Neal RD. Delays in the diagnosis of six cancers: analysis of data from the National Survey of NHS Patients: Cancer. Br J Cancer. 2005 Jun 6;92(11):1959-70. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6602587.

  PMID: 15870714 BACKGROUND

• Gray RT, Sut MK, Badger SA, Harvey CF. Post-operative telephone review is cost-effective and acceptable to patients. Ulster Med J. 2010 May;79(2):76-9.

  PMID: 21116423 BACKGROUND

• Rosbe KW, Jones D, Jalisi S, Bray MA. Efficacy of postoperative follow-up telephone calls for patients who underwent adenotonsillectomy. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000 Jun;126(6):718-21; discussion 722. doi: 10.1001/archotol.126.6.718.

  PMID: 10864107 BACKGROUND

• Ryan EM, Rogers AC, Hanly AM, McCawley N, Deasy J, McNamara DA. A virtual outpatient department provides a satisfactory patient experience following endoscopy. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014 Mar;29(3):359-64. doi: 10.1007/s00384-013-1801-y. Epub 2013 Dec 6.

  PMID: 24309978 BACKGROUND

• Sardell S, Sharpe G, Ashley S, Guerrero D, Brada M. Evaluation of a nurse-led telephone clinic in the follow-up of patients with malignant glioma. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2000;12(1):36-41. doi: 10.1053/clon.2000.9108.

  PMID: 10749018 BACKGROUND

• Booker J, Eardley A, Cowan R, Logue J, Wylie J, Caress AL. Telephone first post-intervention follow-up for men who have had radical radiotherapy to the prostate: evaluation of a novel service delivery approach. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2004 Dec;8(4):325-33. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2004.01.003.

  PMID: 15550362 BACKGROUND

• Beaver K, Williamson S, Chalmers K. Telephone follow-up after treatment for breast cancer: views and experiences of patients and specialist breast care nurses. J Clin Nurs. 2010 Oct;19(19-20):2916-24. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03197.x.

  PMID: 20649914 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Patient Satisfaction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Thomas Walsh, MD MCh FCRSI

  Department of General Surgery, Connolly Hospital and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Surgical Registrar

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2017
• First Posted: March 1, 2017
• Study Start: May 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2017
• Study Completion: May 1, 2017
• Last Updated: June 9, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IE (1)