Patient location strategies for pediatric long-term follow-up studies
Matthew E Lovell1, Jose A Morcuende
1The Ponseti Center for Clubfoot Treatment, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Insights
Locating patients for long-term pediatric studies is challenging. Intelius.com proved most effective for patient tracking, unlike the King et al. algorithm.
Area of Science:
- Medical research methodology
- Patient follow-up strategies
- Pediatric study design
Background:
- Poor patient follow-up rates compromise study validity, especially in long-term pediatric research.
- Changing addresses over time present significant challenges in locating individuals treated in childhood.
- Novel patient location strategies are emerging to address these follow-up issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the King et al. patient location algorithm.
- To assess alternative search methods for long-term follow-up of pediatric cohorts.
- To identify optimal strategies for re-contacting patients treated for childhood clubfoot.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 126 patients treated for clubfoot between 1950-1967 was studied.
- The King et al. search algorithm was implemented.
- Patient location was attempted using state driver's license records, Reunitetonight.com, and Intelius.com.
Main Results:
- The King et al. algorithm located 21% of patients via recommended web pages.
- State driver's license records identified 25 patients.
- Intelius.com was the most successful, locating 54% of patients.
Conclusions:
- The King et al. algorithm is ineffective for long-term pediatric follow-up.
- Intelius.com offers a cost-effective solution for patient location, proving superior to other methods.
- Effective patient tracking is crucial for maintaining the integrity of longitudinal pediatric studies.
Background:
Poor follow-up rates greatly diminish the validity of prospective and long-term studies. Therefore, locating patients is of critical importance. This is especially true in populations treated during childhood because addresses will change several times in intervening years. Recent publications have reported new strategies for patient location. The purpose of this study is to test an algorithm proposed by King et al., as well as other search methods, using a cohort of patients treated for clubfoot in childhood
Methods:
The study population included 126 patients with clubfeet treated between 1950 and 1967. We followed the search algorithm proposed by King et al. In addition, we used state driver's license records, Reunitetonight.com, and Intelius.com. Patients were considered to be found when they returned a postage-paid reply letter or were contacted by phone.
Results:
Using web pages recommended by King et al. we located 26 of 126 (21 percent) patients. Operator directory assistance failed to locate any patients not located by free internet sources. Additional websites had varied results. State driver's license records found 25 patients. Reunitetonight.com found none with thirty attempted. The best search engine was Intelius.com which located 68 out of 126 (54 percent) patients.
Conclusion:
The algorithm proposed by King et al. is not effective for long-term follow-up studies of pediatric populations. Intelius.com is worth the small fee charged (dollar 22.45) as it was the most effective method of locating patients.
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