A Study of Lymphoedema Patients Over Their First Six Months of Treatment

Abstract

Summary This paper describes a prospective multi-professional study of patients referred to two lymphoedema clinics over a six-month period in 1996. Information was obtained during clinical examination and the use of patient questionnaires at the point of assessment and after six months treatment. Each treatment session was recorded and data were collected regarding the length and nature of each intervention, and who provided it. The cost of providing treatment over the six-month period was calculated. This included the cost of: ▪ Service provision. ▪ Use of premises and non-clinical support. ▪ Garments and equipment. ▪ Travel for patients attending clinic. ▪ Professionals treating patients away from the treatment base. Wide inclusion criteria were use in order to ascertain the nature and extent of problems which were being referred. Both the clinics involved in the study provide a full-time out-patient service with in-patient facilities. The same treatment standards, procedures and protocols were used in both centres. The study was designed to provide comprehensive data on the nature and degree of problems experienced by patients over their first six months of treatment. Condition-specific measurement tools for assessing and monitoring lymphoedema-related problems are scarce, which has led to a lack of evidence relating to a number of relevant treatment outcomes. For this reason, some experimental tools were piloted within this study in order to obtain measurements relating to aspects of care. The study has demonstrated that for a relatively modest cost, effective treatment may be offered which can improve patients' physical and psychosocial well-being.