Follow-Up Phone Calls After Colorectal Surgery

December 12, 2014 updated by: Conor Delaney, MD, PhD, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Follow-Up Phone Calls After Colorectal Surgery to Assess Patient Satisfaction and Post-Operative Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to assess if follow-up telephone calls after colorectal surgery affects a patient's satisfaction, the outcome of their surgery, and their quality of life. In addition, readmissions, complications and emergency room visits can be tracked via these telephone calls, ensuring optimal communication between patients and the surgical office.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Follow-up with patients after surgery is necessary to assess levels of rehabilitation, answer questions and expresses an attitude of caring, as well as assist in marketing procedures for the hospital or institution (Fallis, 2001). Surveillance after discharge from the hospital may be difficult as most patients are no longer monitored by health care professionals. If home health care is not required, the patient may not have contact with his/her doctor or nurse until the follow-up appointment which frequently is 4- 6 weeks post surgery.

There is evidence in the literature that telephone contact is beneficial for patients. The strongest and most current evidence came from a meta-analysis by Meade (2004) on research supporting phone calls post-operatively for hospitalized patients. This analysis provided a significant and valid review of health care professionals providing this service, looking at various patient populations and different hospital settings. 29 articles were published from 1981 to 2004 and reviewed to gather a compilation of research findings in this area. Regardless of the design of the research, the findings suggest that follow-up phone calls to patients after discharge provide invaluable opportunities to enhance practice in the following areas: Appraisal and evaluation of patient education, Practice improvement trends, Quality of care, Medication compliance and adherence to discharge instructions, Evaluation of overall hospital performance.

There is no evidence specifically addressing telephone contact after discharge in the colorectal surgery population which will be the basis of this study. Nurses providing follow-up phone calls to patients in the early post operative phase may assist in preventing or minimizing the effects of postoperative complications by reinforcing discharge instructions, answering patients' questions, and assessing their concerns. Potential serious complications may therefore be addressed early.

The purpose of this study is to assess if follow-up telephone calls after surgery affects patient satisfaction, surgical outcomes and quality of life in the early post-operative phase after colorectal surgery. In addition, tracking of readmissions, complications and emergency room visits via telephone calls can ensure communication between the patients and the surgical office is optimal.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

100

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106
        • University Hospitals of Cleveland Case Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Colorectal Surgery clinic patients

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects who are 18 years of age and older
  • Subjects of either sex
  • Subjects who will undergo any moderate or major colorectal surgery requiring an overnight hospital stay at University Hospitals Case Medical Center
  • Subjects who agree to participate in the study program and provide written informed consent
  • Diagnoses such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rectal or colon cancer, colon or rectal polyps and diverticulitis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients in the middle of three part surgery or had recent surgery (i.e., back for stoma closure for J-pouch)
  • Patients with diagnosis of rectal prolapse, condyloma, and any conditions that require non-invasive outpatient procedures
  • Pregnant women, minors, psychiatric patients and prisoners

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
to assess if follow-up telephone calls after surgery affects patient satisfaction, surgical outcomes and quality of life in the early post-operative phase after colorectal surgery
Time Frame: not specific
not specific

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
to track readmissions, complications and emergency room visits via telephone calls to ensure communication between the patients and the surgical office is optimal.
Time Frame: not specific
not specific

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Conor Delaney, MD, PhD, University Hospitals of Cleveland/ Institute for Surgical Innovation

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

February 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 15, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 15, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

May 16, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 15, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 12, 2014

Last Verified

December 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 01-06-03

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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