Evaluation of Orthopedic Trauma Surgery Follow-up and Impact of a Routine Callback Program

A high rate of patients lost to follow-up is a common problem in orthopedic trauma surgery. This adversely affects the ability to produce accurate clinical outcomes research. The purpose of this project was to (1) evaluate the rate of loss to follow-up at an academic level I trauma center; (2) identify the patient-reported reasons for loss to follow-up; and (3) evaluate the efficacy of a routine patient callback program. All patients who underwent surgery in the orthopedic trauma division of the University of Virginia Medical Center from April 1, 2014, to September 30, 2014, and did not complete their postoperative clinic follow-up were analyzed. The characteristics of these patients were evaluated, and the primary reason for not completing the recommended follow-up was identified. All patients were then offered additional orthopedic follow-up at the time of contact. Of the 480 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 41 (8.5%) failed to complete the recommended postoperative follow-up course. The most common reason for being lost to follow-up was feeling well and not having the need to be seen (46.3%). Only 6 (14.6%) of the 41 patients requested follow-up care at the time of contact. The lost to follow-up rate in this study, 8.5%, was considerably lower than that previously reported, but patient characteristics were consistent with those of prior studies on this subject. The low lost to follow-up rate may reflect a difference in geographic location or patient population. The patient callback program had a low yield of patients requesting additional follow-up after being contacted. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(2):e312-e316.].