Review of telephone follow-up experience at the Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program

Purpose: To review the feasibility of telephone follow-up following a 3-year experience from 1999 to 2001 at the Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program as a prospective radiotherapy outcome assessment of symptom palliation. Methods and materials: Patients referred for palliative radiotherapy for symptom control from 1999 to 2001 were asked to rate symptom distress using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) at initial consultation. Patient demographics and analgesic consumption were recorded. Telephone follow-up interviews were conducted with all patients who received radiotherapy during weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 after radiotherapy using the ESAS and an analgesic diary. Clinic follow-up visits were conducted only if necessary. Results: Between January 1999 and December 2001, 830 patients received palliative radiotherapy. Of these patients, 260 (31.3%) died during the 12-week follow-up period. The percentage of surviving patients responding to the telephone interview ranged from 48.2% (week 12) to 56.6% (week 4) during the 12-week study. Conclusion: Telephone follow-up is a feasible tool for prospective outcome assessment of symptom palliation in metastatic cancer patients. Telephone follow-up is recommended for outcome assessment of symptom relief when it can achieve the same purpose as clinic follow-up. Data collection remains a challenge in the palliative patient population. Further studies are required to determine how well other methods of maximizing data collection, such as through the use of caregivers, can provide reliable and accurate information.