Picking Up the Phone: Clinical Perspectives on Recontacting Patients and Their Families

When test results are reanalysed after a patient has been discharged from a service, 'recontact' can be necessary to inform them of pertinent new information. This scoping review aims to investigate perspectives of clinical healthcare professionals on this recontact and its associated considerations.

We searched Medline and Embase for studies investigating the perspectives of healthcare professionals on patient recontact.

Of 518 articles identified, 13 articles were included in the review. All 13 articles examined recontact in the setting of genetics. There was a consensus that recontact can be necessary, but there was disagreement about where the responsibility to initiate it lies. Challenges identified included logistical strain and validating patient consent.

Patient recontact is seen as important, but concerns around workload drive a lack of consensus around where the responsibility to recontact lies. There is scope for more research on the implications of recontact outside the field of genetics, and clarification is needed around reasonable expectations of recontact in different clinical situations.