Abstract
Aims: Outpatient clinic follow-up of patients after knee arthroscopy is routine practice in many orthopaedic units. It can be inconvenient and expensive for patients and may be unnecessary.The aim of our study was to compare oupatient follow-up with telephone follow-up after knee arthroscopy in a prospective randomised trial
Patients and method: Over a four-month period, 50 patients (mean age 41 years) were included in our study. Each patient underwent a day-case knee arthroscopy as previously planned. After surgery, each patient was randomised to either attend for an outpatient clinic follow-up after two weeks or to receive a telephone follow-up after two weeks from operation. All patients were assessed after four weeks from surgery by an independent assessor who was blinded to the type of follow-up each patient had received. No patients in the study were lost to follow-up.
Results: No significant difference was found in patient satisfaction scores between the outpatient and telephone groups (mean 7.78 vs mean 7.92). However, 81% patients in the telephone group and 57% patients in the clinic group (p< 0.01) preferred telephone follow-up if they were to undergo another knee arthroscopy. There was a significant increase in patello-femoral problems in those preferring outpatient follow-up (64%) compared to telephone follow-up (24%), p< 0.05. No difference in complication rates between the two groups was found.
Conclusion: Telephone follow-up provides a satisfactory and safe alternative to outpatient follow-up after knee arthroscopy. It is preferred by the majority of patients and could relieve pressure on outpatient resources.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Roger Lemaire. Correspondence should be addressed to EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
