A Prospective Study of Telephonic Contact and Subsequent Physical Follow up of Radically Treated Lung Cancer Patients

Patients of cancer, after their primary treatment are subsequently called for follow up visits to assess the disease status. This has two important implications from the point of view of resource management. One, patients often have to travel long distances to report to the hospital and have to take care of other logistics such as their accommodation, local travel and food. Further often the patient travels with 1-2 attendants which adds to the logistic burden. Also, these patients of follow up also contribute to the load on existing hospital services. Many authors have speculated that follow-up visits generate anxiety about possible disease recurrence. On the other hand, many others have suggested that although there may be a transient increase in anxiety, patients are ultimately reassured by this practice. Hence, there is no firm evidence for the practice and the need for follow up in oncology care.