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A review of telephone consultations for head and neck cancer follow up: a patient satisfaction survey

Part of: JLO Coronavirus Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2021

R Stewart ,
L Collins ,
B Kerr ,
G Gray ,
B Devlin ,
M Black  and
R Ullah
R Stewart*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
L Collins
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
B Kerr
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Antrim Area Hospital, Northern Ireland, UK
G Gray
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
B Devlin
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
M Black
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
R Ullah
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology, Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Mr Robbie Stewart, 70 Milecross Road, Newtownards BT23 4SR, Northern Ireland, UK E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective

To review patient satisfaction with the change in practice towards telephone consultations during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic for head and neck cancer follow up.

Method

A retrospective analysis was conducted of head and neck cancer telephone appointments during a six-month period in a tertiary referral centre.

Results

Patients found the telephone consultations beneficial (98 per cent), with 30 per cent stating they were relieved to not have to attend hospital. Patients who travelled further, those with lower stage disease and patients with a greater interval from initial treatment were most satisfied with the telephone consultations. Sixty-eight per cent of patients stated they would be happy to have telephone consultations as part of their regular follow up after the pandemic.

Conclusion

Patients found the telephone consultations beneficial and 30 per cent considered them preferable to face-to-face appointments. This study demonstrates that telephone consultations can be used as an adjunct to face-to-face appointments in an effort to reduce hospital attendances whilst maintaining close follow up.

Keywords

COVID-19Patient SatisfactionInterviews As TopicHead And Neck NeoplasmsTelemedicineSurveys And Questionnaire
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 9 , September 2021 , pp. 815 - 819
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Mr R Stewart takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

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Porceddu, S, Daniels, C, Yom, S, Liu, H, Waldron, J, Gregoire, V et al. Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG) Consensus Guidelines for the Delivery of Postoperative Radiation Therapy in Complex Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (cSCCHN). Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2020;107:641–51CrossRefGoogle Scholar