Nurse Led Follow Up: Is It The Best Way Forward for Post-Operative Endometriosis Patients?

Author(s): R Mallick, Z Magama, C Neophytou, R Oliver, F Odejinmi

The benefits of nurse led follow-up are well documented in the wider literature and include higher patient satisfaction rates, improved information delivery and quicker discharge rates. Unfortunately there is a paucity of data when it comes to benign gynaecology and the aim of this study was to establish the efficacy of outpatient services offered by an endometriosis specialist nurse compared to standard medical follow up in women undergoing operative laparoscopy for severe endometriosis. Outcome measures included both patient satisfaction and the duration of follow-up until discharge. Our findings highlight that a nurse led service is highly acceptable to patients and leads not only to higher satisfaction rates, but also a reduced duration of follow-up resulting in a significantly more cost effective service without any detriment to the patient.