Project Details
Overview
Patient initiated follow-up (PIFU) empowers patients and their carers by offering them the flexibility to schedule follow-up appointments based on their individual symptoms and circumstances, rather than adhering to a set timetable.
In 2020 some aspects of delivering PIFU within the NHS were less than ideal, due to the pressures of the service and a misunderstanding of the complexity of the processes needed to implement and deliver a safe PIFU service.
Co-created by leading experts, clinicians, and patients, this rheumatology toolkit is designed to benefit both healthcare professionals and patients to help with the implementation of high-quality PIFU in rheumatology services across the NHS.
Patients with chronic rheumatic conditions typically access NHS services for the remainder of their lives. Getting the implementation of PIFU right establishes trust between patients and those services at the start and gets the patient-clinical service relationship off to a good start at a critical point in a patient's life long journey alongside their rheumatology department.
The project was funded by the British Society for Rheumatology advanced research funding call and was co-produced with input from patients and professional patient groups like National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) and National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS). The toolkit has been designed to be as accessible as possible to all, and as well as being available for free for use by different NHS services, it can be co-branded by Trusts, allowing local hospitals to adapt the toolkit for their specific needs.
The material from this toolkit will be a key part of the intervention in the upcoming National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) TaILOR trial (trial of patient-initiated care leading to improved outcomes in rheumatology) which will be investigating the impact of PIFU on rheumatology services.
Link to NHS Rheumatology Toolkit - https://www.rheumatology.org.uk/improving-care/registers/service-guidance/best-practice/patient-initiated-follow-up
In 2020 some aspects of delivering PIFU within the NHS were less than ideal, due to the pressures of the service and a misunderstanding of the complexity of the processes needed to implement and deliver a safe PIFU service.
Co-created by leading experts, clinicians, and patients, this rheumatology toolkit is designed to benefit both healthcare professionals and patients to help with the implementation of high-quality PIFU in rheumatology services across the NHS.
Patients with chronic rheumatic conditions typically access NHS services for the remainder of their lives. Getting the implementation of PIFU right establishes trust between patients and those services at the start and gets the patient-clinical service relationship off to a good start at a critical point in a patient's life long journey alongside their rheumatology department.
The project was funded by the British Society for Rheumatology advanced research funding call and was co-produced with input from patients and professional patient groups like National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) and National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS). The toolkit has been designed to be as accessible as possible to all, and as well as being available for free for use by different NHS services, it can be co-branded by Trusts, allowing local hospitals to adapt the toolkit for their specific needs.
The material from this toolkit will be a key part of the intervention in the upcoming National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) TaILOR trial (trial of patient-initiated care leading to improved outcomes in rheumatology) which will be investigating the impact of PIFU on rheumatology services.
Link to NHS Rheumatology Toolkit - https://www.rheumatology.org.uk/improving-care/registers/service-guidance/best-practice/patient-initiated-follow-up
| Short title | BSR Optimising PIFU |
|---|---|
| Status | Finished |
| Effective start/end date | 1/09/23 → 30/03/24 |
Collaborative partners
- University of Plymouth (lead)
- British Society of Rheumatology
Funding
- British Society of Rheumatology : £74,612.00