Patient Satisfaction With Initial Phone Call Versus Office Visit Following Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy, a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This is a randomized controlled trial looking at patient satisfaction with a 1-2 week
postoperative visit versus phone call after minimally invasive hysterectomy. Patients will be
screened, enrolled, consented, and randomized during the preoperative office encounter, which
usually takes place 30 days prior to their scheduled surgery. Patients randomized to the
study group (1-2 week postoperative phone call) will be given a time and date when to expect
the postoperative phone call. Patients randomized to the control arm will receive a standard
postoperative visit appointment 7-21 days after surgery. Patients in both arms will receive
postoperative discharge instructions advising when to contact our office and when to present
to the emergency room with certain complaints. The patients in the study arm will have
instructions reinforcing that they will be contacted with a postoperative phone call instead
of a visit initially; however, patients in both arms will have a postoperative visit 6-8
weeks following surgery.

After surgery, patients randomized to the study arm will receive the phone call at 7-14 days
post-op. The physician performing the phone call will be a minimally invasive gynecology
fellow in our practice. The provider will use a script to review all of the typical review of
systems and pertinent postoperative functioning questions typically reviewed and documented
in our postoperative visit. They will also review the surgical pathology at this time. This
conversation will be documented in our electronic medical record.

Patients randomized to the control arm will undergo typical office visit at 7-21 days postop.

Patients in both arms will have postoperative office visits at 6-8 weeks postop, and will
complete a survey at that time. The survey is a modified version of the SCAHPS survey to
assess patient satisfaction with the surgical experience. There will also be some questions
about the patients' attitudes towards the number and timing of postoperative visits.

Inclusion Criteria:

- women undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy

Exclusion Criteria:

- patients without adequate phone or transportation access

- patients with concern for underlying malignancy