Telephone follow-up of patients after radical prostatectomy : a systematic review

Objective: to assess and summarize the best scientific evidence from randomized controlled clinical
trials about telephone follow-up of patients after radical prostatectomy, based on information
about how the phone calls are made and the clinical and psychological effects for the individuals
who received this intervention. Method: the search was undertaken in the electronic databases
Medline, Web of Science, Embase, Cinahl, Lilacs and Cochrane. Among the 368 references found,
five were selected. Results: two studies tested interventions focused on psychological support
and three tested interventions focused on the physical effects of treatment. The psychoeducative
intervention to manage the uncertainty about the disease and the treatment revealed statistically
significant evidences and reduced the level of uncertainty and anguish it causes. Conclusion: the
beneficial effects of telephone follow-up could be determined, as a useful tool for the monitoring
of post-prostatectomy patients.
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq),