Is Skype an acceptable tool to follow-up liver cancer patients?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Is Skype a clinically acceptable and cost-efficient tool for postoperative follow-up consultations of liver cancer resection patients?
IRAS ID
139942
Contact name
Raj Prasad
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Research summary
This pilot study aims to determine if Skype is a useful and cost-efficient tool for follow-up consultations with patients who have had liver cancer resections. Traditionally, outpatient clinics have been the standard mode of consultation between patient and clinician. However there are a number of issues with outpatient clinics such as waiting times, patient costs in terms of travel and social circumstance, and service costs to run a clinic. Skype is an internet based communication tool that provides face to face, real time video calls which can accommodate consultations. Skype is being used in different Trusts within the NHS. It is not widely used in the NHS at present but it has been shown to have potential as a method of carrying out clinical consultation, which may be advantageous to both the patient and the health service.
Patients will initially have a traditional outpatient clinic follow-up consultation at St. James’s Hospital. Following this, a second follow-up appointment will be conducted using Skype at a time that is mutually convenient for the patient and clinician.
Eligible patients are those who have undergone surgery for liver cancer and are under followup at St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, and have access and facilities for Skype at home.
The research will enable us to determine and compare the effectiveness, acceptability and costs of outpatient versus Skype virtual clinics. With these results we will be better equipped to assess whether Skype can be a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional, face to face clinics for following up this patient cohort.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1181
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion