Less follow-up preferred for breast cancer patients
Less follow-up preferred for breast cancer patients
Breast cancer patients prefer less frequent follow-up than is routinely recommended, according to British researchers.
Physicians at Charing Cross Hospital in London compared conventionally monitored and less frequently monitored breast cancer patients. Their results are highlighted in the Jan. 18, 1997, issue of the British Medical Journal. Patients in the less frequently monitored group received a physician visit only after mammography.
Patients in the less frequently monitored group were then asked to report any symptoms noticed outside of scheduled mammogram appointments. Patients opting for less monitoring were willing to assume responsibility for seeking medical attention if symptoms appear, researchers noted.
Researchers cite several benefits of less frequent follow-up. First, clinicians can improve efficiency of patient care. Second, patients showing no symptoms experience less anxiety and are not inconvenienced. Outpatient clinic waiting times are reduced, and nurses and reception staff can provide better outpatient care.
Finally, researchers noted that general practice referrals to hospital specialists were improved for patients monitored less frequently, and that health care purchasers reaped greater cost-effectiveness.
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