The role of telephone consultations in respiratory medicine

Abstract

Respiratory medicine covers a diverse range of diseases, many of which are long-term and characterised by periods of stability punctuated by acute exacerbations. Typically, such conditions require regular health care contacts, both scheduled and unscheduled, for review and support when stable and for acute care during exacerbations. With the rising global prevalence of chronicrespiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD healthcare systems face an increasing challenge to provide timely and effective care. Consistent follow up is further complicated as patients, faced with balancing the need for repeated clinic visits with the competing demands of family/working life, may have erratic attendance patterns. Gaps in care can ultimately lead to poor compliance with treatment and deterioration in health. Healthcare professionals, therefore, need to consider ways tomprove the accessibility, convenience and efficiency of care for long-term respiratory conditions, and it may be that telephone consultations have a role to play in this provision of long-term follow up and care.