title: Smartphone Application WeChat for Clinical Follow-up of Discharged Patients with Head and Neck Tumors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nowadays, social media tools such as short message service, Twitter, video, and web-based systems are more and more used in clinical follow-up, making clinical follow-up much more time- and cost-effective than ever before. However, as the most popular social media in China, little is known about the utility of smartphone WeChat application in follow-up. In this study, we aimed to investigate the feasibility and superiority of WeChat application in clinical follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 108 patients diagnosed with head and neck tumor were randomized to WeChat follow-up (WFU) group or telephone follow-up (TFU) group for 6-month follow-up. The follow-ups were delivered by WeChat or telephone at 2 weeks, 1, 2, 3, and 6 months to the patients after being discharged. The study measurements were time consumption for follow-up delivery, total economic cost, lost-to-follow-up rate, and overall satisfaction for the follow-up method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time consumption in WFU group for each patient (23.36 ± 6.16 min) was significantly shorter than that in TFU group (42.89 ± 7.15 min) (P < 0.001); total economic cost in WFU group (RMB 90 Yuan) was much lower than that in TFU group (RMB 196 Yuan). Lost-to-follow-up rate in the WFU group was 7.02% (4/57) compared with TFU group, 9.80% (5/51), while no significance was observed (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.176-2.740; P = 0.732). The overall satisfaction rate in WFU group was 94.34% (50/53) compared with 80.43% (37/46) in TFU group (95% CI: 0.057-0.067; P = 0.034).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The smartphone WeChat application was found to be a viable option for follow-up in discharged patients with head and neck tumors. WFU was time-effective, cost-effective, and convenient in communication. This doctor-led follow-up model has the potential to establish a good physician-patient relationship by enhancing dynamic communications and providing individual health instructions.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IOR-15007498; http://www.chictr.org.cn/ showproj.aspx?proj=12613.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Ke-Xing
authors.initials: KX
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Guan-Xia
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518036, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Qiang
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Affiliated Futian Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518033, China.
authors.forename: Qi-Hong
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Ai-Yun
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Lei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000068997:Smartphone; D061108:Social Media; D013689:Telephone; D055815:Young Adult