How to do a patient follow-up

Follow-up is the act of making contact with a patient (or relative/caregiver) of a patient at
a later, specified date to check on the progress of treatment provided in last appointment
or contact.
It is used for:
Monitoring health status as checking lood pressure values.
!einforcing knowledge and action plans regarding the treatment/ advice.
"onfirming medication adherence.
#cheduling appointments.
$erif%ing follow-through on referrals.
!eporting la results.
"ontact with patients i.e. follow-up can enhance patients& sense of eing cared for % the
treatment provider.. #tudies show that patients appreciate and respond well to follow-up
contact. 'stalishing a s%stem to follow-up with patients is also eneficial for the clinic
staff. (he additional contact with patients can give staff reassurance that the patients
understand what the% need to know and do.
) pharmacist has important role in patient follow-up.
Key action/ process related to follow-up:
1. Identify ways to initiate and track follow-up.
'lectronic s%stems often have uilt-in mechanisms to alert the pharmacist/ staff
that a planned follow-up is needed.
If no facilit% of electronic s%stem, develop other methods (e.g. record s%stem) to
find who needs a follow-up and when.
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2. Methods to provide follow-up.
(he method % which we follow-up with a patient depends on what is the need. It ma% e
carried out %:
Patient isit: If a ph%sician needs to ph%sicall% e*amine the patient, a visit is the
onl% means to do this.
Phone call: ) phone call can save oth the ph%sician and the patient time. )
phone call conversation can also e used to remind/reinforce information
provided to patients in earlier visit. In some countries, patients pa% for care
provided over the phone.
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!uto"ated call syste": #ome practices ma% enefit from an automated s%stem
that enales patients to call in or receive calls to report health-related information
(e.g., lood pressure, lood glucose), and get laorator% results.
But such automated s%stems are often costl% to implement.
#ollowup for"s: ,atients can e taught to record information at home and ring
that record in at their ne*t appointment.
e.g. Followup instruction sheet for a diaetes patient. It is given to patients after a
visit, and asks them to record lood glucose and call/fa*/e-mail in their values %
a specified date.
$-"ail: (his can e a ver% efficient means of communicating
to patients ecause it does not re-uire that the patient and clinician are availale at
th same time.
Mail: Mailing normal la results and reminders can e efficient
for the office staff, and patients ma% appreciate knowing that their la results were
within normal limits.
Personnel: %he institution providin& the care should identify a person who
will 'e responsi'le for follow-up (in "any cases a phar"acist is &iven that
role).
4. Things need for the patient follow-up:
) file is maintained for each patient. It should include the following.
,rescription cop%/record
.ead sheet (preliminar% information, contact place etc.)
)n% other information/documents
If insurance s%stem, its verification
/octor0s information
#pace in the file for taking notes
5. Key Steps (every day activity)
+. 'ach morning, the fa*, emails should e checked and an% information related to a
specific patient has to e included in the patient file.
1. )fter sending fa*, emails, letters the answer should e properl% checked. ,articular
attention should e paid to see if orders/an% -uestion has een asked % a patient.
2. In the file made up for the patient, there should e a space for notes. ((his is ver%
important to note:
- what was said
- an% re-uirements a patient has like seeing/speaking to patient/doctor
- promises of when things will e sent/returned etc.
- all the people&s names spoken to date, and times
- office is open or if the doctor is gone etc
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3. )n% re-uest made % patient should e properl% answered % a suitale method of
communication. If there is no contact, email should e resent. In man% cases additional
phone call followed % fa* or email is necessar% to provide correct information.
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