Finding orthopedic patients lost to follow-up for long-term outcomes research using the Internet: an update for 2012

Orthopedics. 2012 Jul 1;35(7):595-9. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20120621-06.

Abstract

The Internet is available to researchers as a tool for studying long-term outcomes, but no recent research exists on how to best use it. The authors hypothesize that using the Internet can be at least 75% effective in locating patients lost to follow-up. With Institutional Review Board approval, the authors searched for 66 patients lost to follow-up after a period of 10 years or more with no contact. They tested an Internet searching protocol developed in 2004 and developed an alternate protocol. In all, 74% (49/66) of patients were located.

MeSH terms

  • Biomedical Research / statistics & numerical data*
  • Boston / epidemiology
  • Continuity of Patient Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Data Mining / methods*
  • Health Records, Personal*
  • Internet / statistics & numerical data*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Lost to Follow-Up*
  • Medical Records Systems, Computerized / statistics & numerical data
  • Orthopedics / statistics & numerical data*
  • Patients / statistics & numerical data