title: Shared medical appointments for bariatric surgery follow-up: a patient satisfaction questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Shared medical appointments (SMAs) are group clinics where practitioners see several patients, with common health needs, at once. There is a great financial strain on the National Health Service (NHS) to provide bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to review patient satisfaction with the SMA that is the default means of following up patients after bariatric surgery at one particular NHS trust.
  
  
  METHODS
  A patient-validated questionnaire was designed and handed out at the end of the SMAs. Patients who attended an SMA earlier in 2011 were also retrospectively sent questionnaires via post.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 47 patients completed the questionnaire from seven different SMAs covering the period from January to July 2011. All patients underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. After attending an SMA, patients gave an overall mean satisfaction rating of 4.13 ± 0.163 (on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 = very poor and 5 = excellent) which represented an increase (p < 0.01) compared to preconceptions before the clinic (3.59 ± 0.175). A cost analysis estimated a yearly saving of £4,617 or 65.1% made by the SMAs compared to 1:1 appointments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bariatric surgery SMA demonstrates high levels of patient satisfaction and is cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. ms7993@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Seager
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Meredith
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.forename: J D T
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000191:economics; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D006113:United Kingdom