Telemedicine

doi:10.1136/bmj.314.7079.520

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Pilot study of telephone follow up in rheumatology has just been completed

B Pal, Consultant in rheumatology and rehabilitationa

^a Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester M23 9LT
^b Department of Clinical Oncology, Western General Hospitals NHS Trust, Edinburgh EH4 2XU
^c Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS Trust, Dumfries DG1 4AP

Editor—Having read the two recent articles on telemedicine,1 2 I wish to share my own experience. As there were no published accounts of outpatients' attitudes towards telephone follow up care, I undertook a survey among outpatients about a proposed telephone follow up service.3 4

A detailed questionnaire was given to 275 patients attending various outpatient clinics at Withington Hospital. A random sample of 20 consultants providing services at the hospital were also asked to give their overall opinion. Altogether 201 questionnaires were returned (73% response rate). One hundred and sixty patients indicated that they would be interested in telephone follow up. The reasons given included that they would save time (80 patients) and expense (60), avoid the journey to the hospital (88), and require no …