Patient initiated follow up (PIFU) is when a patient, or carer, can initiate follow up appointments as and when required, e.g. when symptoms or circumstances change.
This helps patients access support when they need it and may also reduce the need for routine review appointments. PIFU can be used with long or short-term conditions and following treatment or surgery.
We have PIFU pathways in many of our services, and if PIFU is suitable for you, your clinician will discuss your condition with you and add your name to a PIFU list. Instead of being offered regular routine follow up appointments, you can make an appointment to see us if or when you have worries or concerns following your consultation in the outpatient clinic.
You will be given ‘open access’ to the clinic for a period of time, which means that if you feel worried and/or you have further problems related to your original appointment, you can contact us and we will make an appointment for you. Your clinician will tell you how long you will stay on this PIFU plan as it is determined by your clinical condition. If you do not need to see a clinician about your condition within the specified period after your last appointment, you will be discharged back to your GP who will re-refer you if you need to be seen again in the future.
We offer follow-up this way because we want to give patients, more choice and flexibility. It makes it easier and more convenient for you to receive care and support when you need it, whilst avoiding unnecessary trips to hospitals and clinics, reducing the cost of travel and parking, reducing waiting times for appointments and also helping us to decrease our carbon footprint by reducing the number of unnecessary journeys.
