Emerson 2000.

Methods	DETAILS OF STUDY AIM OF INTERVENTION: provider initiated follow‐up calls to a patient may provide the opportunity to decrease the frequency of unnecessary return office visits; this could save money and time for both provider and patient. AIM OF STUDY: to determine the effects of follow‐up telephone calls on the number of return office visits of vasectomy patients. STUDY DESIGN: CCT. METHODS OF RECRUITMENT OF PARTICIPANTS: in the first 3 months all patients were considered intervention patients and received TFU; the next 3 months all patients were considered control patients and received only written postoperative instructions and no TFU. INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN STUDY: vasectomy patients from an urology group. EXCLUSION CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN STUDY: not specified. INFORMED CONSENT OBTAINED? no, ETHICAL APPROVAL? yes. FUNDING: unclear. ASSESSMENT OF STUDY QUALITY ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT: inadequate. EPOC‐ QUALITY CRITERIA 2002: C.high risk of bias. METHOD OF GENERATING RANDOMISATION SCHEDULE: not specified. METHOD OF CONCEALMENT OF ALLOCATION: not specified. BLINDING: ·PARTICIPANTS: no. ·PROVIDER/S: no. ·OUTCOME ASSESSOR/S: no. INTENTION TO TREAT ANALYSIS: not stated. BASELINE COMPARABILITY OF INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS: not stated. STATISTICAL METHODS AND THEIR APPROPRIATENESS: none. CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT: not stated.
Participants	DESCRIPTION: surgery patients. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: USA. SETTING: discharged home from an acute care setting. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: ELIGIBLE: 27. RANDOMISED TO INTERVENTION: 11. RANDOMISED TO CONTROL: 16. INCLUDED IN ANALYSIS INTERVENTION GROUP: 11. INCLUDED IN ANALYSIS CONTROL GROUP: 16 AGE: RANGE OR MEAN (SD): GENDER (% MALE) 100 ETHNICITY PRINCIPAL HEALTH PROBLEM OR DIAGNOSIS: unclear OTHER HEALTH PROBLEM/S: unclear TREATMENT RECEIVED/RECEIVING: vasectomy OTHER SOCIAL/DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS: not given
Interventions	DETAILS OF INTERVENTION: A telephone call that is specific to the needs/concerns of a vasectomy patient made within 24 to 48 hours of the procedure by a nurse regarding pain, swelling, redness and fever. DETAILS OF CONTROL: usual care. CO‐INTERVENTION? no. DETAILS OF CO‐INTERVENTIONS: usual care. DELIVERY OF INTERVENTION Frequency: 1. First time at day 1‐2 after discharge. Period: PROVIDERS: nurse. INTERVENTION QUALITY: unclear. FIDELITY/INTEGRITY: unclear.
Outcomes	NUMBER OF OUTCOMES: 1 OUTCOME / TOOL / TOOL VALIDATED / METHOD OF ASSESSMENT / TIME OF ASSESSMENT A.Psycho‐social health of patients (uncertainty, anxiety, informational needs, mood, coping, quality of life, social activity, ..): B.Physical health of patients (eg. functional status, self‐care, self‐efficacy, independence, ..): C.Other consumer oriented outcomes (eg. treatment adherence, knowledge, adverse events, ..): D. Health service delivery oriented outcomes (eg. hospital readmission, health services utilization, ..): Unnecessary return office visits / hospital record / unclear / status analysis / 4 weeks after discharge.
Notes	·CHANGES IN TRIAL PROTOCOL ·CONTACT WITH AUTHOR ·POWER CALCULATION? ·RECORD IF THE STUDY WAS TRANSLATED FROM A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH. ·RECORD IF THE STUDY WAS A DUPLICATE PUBLICATION.
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Allocation concealment?	High risk	C ‐ Inadequate