Patient initiated follow-up (PIFU)

The animation begins with a female clinician and an older male patient. There is bright, upbeat background music playing. They are both sat down, at the patient’s appointment. The doctor points to a poster on the wall that shows the bone structure of a leg. The knee is highlighted to show an area of pain. A female narrator with a south east London accent starts talking.

Narrator: After finishing your treatment we might offer you patient initiated follow-up appointments.

The scene changes to text, which reads ‘Patient Initiated Follow-Up’. The first letter of each word is bigger than the rest of the word.

Narrator: We sometimes call this PIFU.

The first letters of the word shuffle around, to form the word ‘PIFU’.

Narrator: Rather than routine appointments to monitor your health, you decide when to book your follow-ups.

The patient is standing next to an oversized calendar. The pages on the calendar turn, and the patient is thinking.

They point to a date on the calendar.

Narrator: Saving you from travelling when it might not be needed.

The scene changes, and the patient is standing on a busy train. No seats are available.

Narrator: Instead, you can get support when you need it most, like when a symptom gets worse, or if you’re worried about your health.

The patient and clinician are at an appointment. The patient is showing the clinician his knee, and is in pain. The clinician checks his knee. A speech bubble pops up to show that they are talking to each other.

Narrator: We only offer you PIFU if we’re confident your condition is stable.

The clinician is standing next to an oversized tablet device. The tablet displays an image of the patient. A tick graphic appears and the clinician taps it.

Narrator: You might still need routine appointments booked, so that we can continue to review your health.

The patient is walking their dog in the park, with their phone in their hand.

The view changes to show the phone, with the calendar open. The patient’s hand is in view, and he is scrolling on his calendar.

He clicks on the highlighted date. A pop-up appears, which reads ‘Hospital appointment 11am’.

Narrator: But you can arrange follow-ups while waiting, as and when you need them.

The clinician is sitting in front of a computer with headphones on. The patient is in the top right-hand corner, in a video-call window. Speech bubbles pop up to show they are talking to each other in the call.

Narrator: For more information visit the Guy’s and St Thomas’ website, and search PIFU, or talk to your healthcare team.

The patient is sitting on their sofa, with their legs up, using a tablet device. A browser search bar pops up above the patient. The patient types the word ‘PIFU’ which shows up in the search bar.

The scene changes to show the patient and clinician with 2 other male clinicians. They are happily chatting to each other.