title: Patient followup after radical prostatectomy by Internet medical file.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The development of the Internet and the need for regular followup of patients often living a long way from the hospital led us to develop a followup dossier for those with localized prostate cancer treated with laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This feasibility study was based on 140 patients who agreed to test this system. The website was opened on a server specifically devoted to this project with all required computer security. The website is composed of pages comprising the hospital discharge summary, and operative and histology reports. A quality of life questionnaire based on the assessment of urinary continence and sex life, and a prostate specific antigen (PSA) assay form are also included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient is able to enter his PSA data and complete the questionnaire at home. Results are then sent to the treating physician. A contact page allows the patient and physician to exchange information by text. Of these 100 patients 92 connected regularly to the site with a mean connection rate of 8 per patient (range 1 to 22). Of the patients 98% were satisfied with the various sections of the site, 95% were satisfied with the medical file, 11% noticed connection problems and 14% reported technical problems essentially attributable to incorrect PSA data entry or incorrect functioning of videos due to the absence of appropriate software.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This type of Internet medical service for patients who have undergone surgery requiring regular followup appears to be a useful approach for the future by allowing the maintenance of close contact between the patient and physicians, while avoiding problems related to hospital visits regardless of the patient place of residence. It also provides general practitioners with access to the patient file with patient permission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Institut Montsouris, University Pain V, Paris, France. nathalie.cathala@imm.fr
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cathala
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brillat
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mombet
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lobel
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prapotnich
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alexandre
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vallancien
mesh_terms: D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen