Abstract
Purpose :
Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of interventions in reducing noncompliance with follow-up post treatment. A follow-up phone call (FUPC) system was implemented to track and contact patients after each injection visit if noncompliance was detected. Our study evaluates the effectiveness of this system on mitigating lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) after the first treatment visit.
Methods :
Patients who had their first injection in 2016-2019 for either neovascular age related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), or retinal vein occlusion (RVO) were included in the analysis. Noncompliant visits were defined as a first injection visit with no immediate subsequent follow-up visit within 12 weeks. The follow-up phone call (FUPC) system was implemented on 9.18.18 and consisted of a full-time patient retention specialist who evaluated compliance for each injection visit and reached out to patients via phone call for those who missed their recommended follow-up date. Categorical comparisons were made using a chi-square test. Statistical significance was defined as P<0.05.
Results :
14049 first injections visits were eligible for analysis. Mean age (SD) was 71.3 (±14.1) years. Prior to the introduction of the FUPC, 951 out of 11351 (8.4%) of the first injection visits did not have compliant follow-up vs 198 out of 2698 (7.3%) (p=0.08). There was no significant increase in the number of noncompliant first injection visits pre and post FUPC in patients with nAMD (5.7% vs 6.4%, p = 0.36) and RVO (8.3% vs 5.9%, p=0.06). There was a significant reduction in noncompliant first injection visits pre vs post introduction of FUPC system in patients with DR (11.2% vs 9.0%, p=0.03).
Conclusions :
The FUPC system may have a meaningful impact on compliance with follow-up after the first injection, particularly in diabetic retinopathy. However, further study will be required to determine its effectiveness on long-term follow-up.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.