Preconsultation Questionnaires for Patients Attending Elective Foot and Ankle Clinics: Is This the Way Forward in Outpatient Clinics?

Orthopaedic clinics can often be overbooked' busy and delayed appointments are a common sight in the National Health Service. We recognize this is becoming a growing problem that needs to be addressed; therefore, we have carried out a quality improvement project (QIP) that can save clinicians time. We have developed the "Stockport Foot and Ankle Questionnaire," a novel preconsultation questionnaire to gather information about patient history and symptoms. We found that the average time required for consultation reduced from a mean of 22 minutes, without questionnaires, to a mean of 15 minutes with the questionnaire, effectively saving 7 minutes per consultation. The preconsultation questionnaire in foot and ankle clinics is a novel technique to improve efficiency, productivity, and standardization in outpatient clinics. It is a patient-centered approach that identifies where effective changes can be implemented in how outpatient services are run. We recommend routine use of these questionnaires to save valuable clinician time. Level II.