HPB P60 Satisfaction Rates with Telephone Follow-Up Clinic Appointments

Abstract

Abstract Background Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telephone follow-up (TFU) clinics have become an integral part of delivering healthcare. Advantages of telephone clinics include reducing costs and increasing efficiency. This quality improvement project (QIP) was conducted to evaluate patient satisfaction rates with hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) telephone follow-up clinic appointments and improve those rates. Methods The Likert-scale is a 13-item questionnaire tool ranging from 1-5 (1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree) and was used to assess patient satisfaction with TFUs, both before and after implementation of measures for improvement. Satisfactory cut-off point (score of 4) was analysed across all responses. Retrospective questionnaires were completed for 100 patients pre-interventions, and for 42 patients post-interventions. All patients were verbally consented. Presentation of initial findings and education surrounding areas to be improved at a departmental meeting, and use of a structured teleconsultation template were the measures implemented for improvements. Outcomes included overall satisfaction rates across gender and age groups. Results The overall satisfactory rate with TFUs improved from 75% to 95.2%. When analysed according to sex, the satisfactory rates improved for males from 67.6% to 91.7%, and for females from 79.4% to 96.7%. As for satisfactory rates according to age, improvements were noted in 3 out of the 4 pre-determined age groups; <50 years improved from 72.2% to 100%, 50-59 years declined from 88.9% to 80%, 60-69 years improved from 71.4% to 100% and >70 years improved from 72% to 93.7%. Conclusions Initial findings were positive but there was still room for improvement. The 2 main interventions used were discussion and teaching in a departmental meeting, and the implementation of a teleconsultation template. Implementation of these measures were successful in significantly improving the satisfactory rates with TFUs.