Session Information
Date: Thursday, June 23, 2016
Session Title: Clinical trials and therapy in movement disorders
Session Time: 12:00pm-1:30pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: To evaluate satisfaction with flexible injection intervals in patients receiving Botulinum toxin therapy at our outpatient clinic.
Background: Botulinum toxin therapy (BoNT) for muscular hyperactivity syndroms is widely given in fixed 3-month injection intervals. Since 2014, patients at our BoNT outpatient clinic were instructed to ask the next appointment when symptoms substantially worsen again resulting in flexible injection intervals. However, to provide short-term BoNT treatments according to the patients need they can no longer select a specific physician for BoNT application.
Methods: At the end of 2015 we carried out a retrospective telephone survey. We tried to reach 55 BoNT patients still under treatment at our outpatient clinic and 55 patients no longer receiving BoNT at our clinic and asked for patient satisfaction.
Results: 26 of 37 patients still being treated at our department were content with the new flexible appointment system. Nevertheless, 19 of these 26 patients would prefer being injected by one physician regularly. Eleven of 37 patients were not or rather not content with our new appointment system. They all would prefer being treated by the same physician regularly. 16 of 41 patients not treated at our department any longer continuated their BoNT treatment elsewhere, 7 of these 16 patients on their own request and 9 of 16 patients because they had to leave our outpatient clinic due to lack of capacity. 15 of 16 patients are content due to flexible injection intervals or due to being treated by the same physician.
Conclusions: Most patients were satisfied being injected with flexible injection intervals and the possibility of receiving injections immediately when deterioration of symptoms occurs. The main reason for patient satisfaction in BoNT patients who left our department was being treated by the same physician.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
C. Linder, S. Macher, E. Auff, T. Sycha. Patient satisfaction with flexible botulinum toxin injection intervals – Preliminary results of a telephone survey [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/patient-satisfaction-with-flexible-botulinum-toxin-injection-intervals-preliminary-results-of-a-telephone-survey/. Accessed September 5, 2025.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/patient-satisfaction-with-flexible-botulinum-toxin-injection-intervals-preliminary-results-of-a-telephone-survey/