Telephone clinic improves quality of follow-up care for chronic bowel disease.
The unpredictable course of inflammatory bowel disease means that many patients are in remission when they are scheduled to attend a follow-up appointment. They often face long, unnecessary waits in congested outpatient departments when they require only verbal intervention. This article describes a year-long pilot study by a team of nurses and a consultant which involved offering telephone support to IBD patients. The service reduced unnecessary follow-up, provided rapid help during periods of relapse and promoted individualised care.
Blackburn Royal Infirmary.
Lesley
L
Miller
Sarah
S
Caton
Damien
D
Lynch
D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000451:nursing*; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000592:standards*; D010045:Outpatients; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012008:Recurrence; D013689:Telephone