Patient satisfaction with nurse-led telephone follow-up in women with lower urinary tract symptoms

Abstract

We assessed the clinical effectiveness and patient satisfaction with nurse-led telephone follow-up of women with lower urinary tract symptoms. Participants were offered telephone follow-up with a nurse instead of a conventional outpatient appointment. Suitability was decided by the doctor who saw the women at her last visit. The consultation was conducted using the same principles as a routine clinic visit. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by postal questionnaire and they were also sent a standard urinary continence questionnaire, the Kings Health Questionnaire (KHQ), to evaluate their current symptoms. In total, 116 women were included. The mean number of telephone consultations was 2 (range 1-12). The mean overall satisfaction score was 77 (maximum 100, where a higher score indicates greater satisfaction). Only 16 patients (17%) did not prefer telephone follow-up to a clinic visit. Women who had been discharged via the telephone follow-up clinic expressed similar mean satisfaction scores to those whose next visit was a clinic visit (80 and 82, respectively). The KHQ also indicated that the patients had been appropriately discharged or given a further follow-up appointment. Nurse-led telephone follow-up is associated with high satisfaction and has the advantages of consistent follow-up by the same clinician, convenience to the patient and cost-savings.