title: Telephone hotline is an important part of overall patient management in upper gastrointestinal malignancies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As seven out of every ten patients with upper gastrointestinal malignancies (UGIM) are not eligible for curative treatment, life after diagnosis is characterised by a rapid deterioration and uncertainty. To accommodate these issues, we established a telephone hotline.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a two-year period, all patients evaluated for UGIM were given the hotline phone number. The hotline was staffed by either a nurse or a secretary, and subsequently the specialist in charge of the patient would return the call. All calls were registered in a prospective database. The following data were recorded: diagnosis, time from call to return call, problem and solution to the problem.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 477 patients were included, and 172 (36%) patients used the Hotline a total of 254 times. Of the 254 calls, 210 (83%) were returned the same day. A total of 104 (41%) calls were made due to elaborative questions and 89% of these were solved over the phone. Dysphagia was the problem in 51 cases which gave rise to an endoscopy in 86% of cases. Pain was the problem in 35. Overall, of the 254 calls, 152 (60%) problems were solved over the phone. Furthermore, 75 calls triggered a hospital visit and 27 calls led to the patient being referred for further examinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The establishment of a telephone hotline was feasible and it was used by some patients. Most of the callers only made one call. Nearly all calls (96%) were returned the day after the initial call, at the latest. The problem pattern did not differ between disease groups apart from dysphagia in oesophageal cancer. We found that the hotline was an effective and inexpensive part of overall patient management.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  not relevant.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  not relevant.
authors: Aarestrupsvej 25, 5230 Odense M, Denmark. steenbjerring@gmail.com
authors: Ole Steen
authors: OS
authors: Bjerring
authors: Claus
authors: C
authors: Fristrup
authors: Michael Bau
authors: MB
authors: Mortensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015277:Hotlines / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors