Is postal postoperative follow-up in urogynaecology feasible?

Trochez, R; Harber, P; Holmes, D

Postoperative follow-up after urogynaecological surgery has been little investigated. Traditionally, it is done in hospital but there is wide variation in the assessments and timing. We aimed to determine the viability of postal follow-up in women undergoing urogynaecological surgery. This is a retrospective review of prospectively collected data. All women who underwent prolapse and/or urinary incontinence surgery between January and June 2010 were included. Validated ICIQ questionnaires for prolapse and/or incontinence, as appropriate, were used, before surgery and at 6 months postoperatively. The primary outcome was the response rate to postal follow-up. A total of 70 women had urogynaecology surgery during the study period; 65 (93%) women returned the questionnaires (95% CI 84-97%, p < 0.0001). The postoperative questionnaires scores showed a statistically significant improvement compared with the preoperative scores. This results in only a small proportion of women needing hospital attendance for follow-up (10%). We conclude that postal follow-up is feasible.