Automated Telephone System Is Useful in Providing Follow-up Care

Automated Telephone System Is Useful in Providing Follow-up Care

Automated Telephone System Is Useful in Providing Follow-up Care

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sent this bulletin at 02/13/2013 02:21 PM EST

Automated Telephone System Is Useful in Providing Follow-up Care

Routine follow-up with patients is recommended by AHRQ’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. However, existing time demands on clinic staff make following up with patients a daunting task. Automated interactive telephone systems can be useful in providing follow-up care to patients in diverse practice settings, according to a new study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The study, "Closing the Feedback Loop: An Interactive Voice Response System to Provide Follow-up and Feedback in Primary Care Settings," appeared in the January online edition of the Journal of Medical Systems. The study authors developed and used a system that drew upon information from people’s electronic health records, and called them to provide them with reminders and collect information on their current health status. Patients reporting continued or worsening symptoms during the follow-up call were automatically directed to appropriate clinic staff to assist in their care.

To access an abstract of the article, select: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23340825.

For more information on following up with patients, see Tool 6 in AHRQ’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit at: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/literacy/