Telephone assessments in a Lymphoedema clinic

The telephone is increasingly used in healthcare to provide valuable psychological support and information for patients and can provide an alternative to face to face consultations. As many patients with lymphoedema become 'experts' in the management of their condition, requiring minimal contact with their therapist, the use of the telephone to provide an alternative option to regular follow-up appointments was explored. A project was designed to promote and investigate a more patient focused approach to lymphoedema management according to clinical need and to offer patients an alternative to conventional follow-up clinic appointments enabling resources to be utilised more efficiently. Three hundred and thirteen patients with mild, uncomplicated lymphoedema were telephoned by a lymphoedema therapist prior to the allocation of an appointment. An assessment tool was used to promote discussion of key areas of lymphoedema management relevant to the patient. Outcomes of the project highlighted the value of this approach to follow-up, its valued convenience for some patients and positive impact upon workload planning and delivery.