Follow‐up for people with cancer: nurse‐led services and telephone interventions

Background. Questions about the suitability of traditional outpatient follow‐up clinics as a way of providing on‐going monitoring for patients following serious illness have led to the development of a range of nurse‐led services. However, there has been little attempt to draw some of this knowledge together formally and consider the weight of evidence on the necessity and value of nurse‐led follow‐up. Aim. To provide a review of literature evaluating the impact of nurse led follow‐up in cancer care, with particular focus on the use and value of telephone interventions. Method. A literature search was conducted of nursing, medical and social science databases and the following keywords: cancer follow‐up, nurse‐led follow‐up, telephone follow‐up, telephone‐based interventions and telephone survey. The search yielded over 150 papers, of which 37 were relevant to this review. Findings. The literature suggests that nurse‐led follow‐up for people with cancer meets their needs for psychological support and information. The telephone is identified as a suitable means of providing this kind of service. Conclusion. This review demonstrates that nurse‐led follow‐up services are acceptable, appropriate and effective. Combined with use of the telephone, such services can be an efficient means of maintaining contact with a large client group, providing vital support to vulnerable patients during their move into aftercare and beyond.