A review of telephone coaching services for people with long-term conditions

In one-to-one telephone coaching, the patient receives regular telephone calls from a health professional. We have reviewed the evidence for one-to-one telephone coaching. Following a literature search we retrieved 41 articles which reported on the development and the efficacy of 34 separate telephone coaching interventions for LTC management. Telephone coaching for LTC management has only occurred in the last ten years, is becoming increasingly prevalent, and is dominated by interventions in North America and Europe. Twenty-seven (79%) of the studies reported on randomised designs involving at least one control or comparison group/condition. Of the 34 interventions reviewed, 17 (50%) were aimed at diabetes management and 17 (50%) were designed to manage chronic cardiovascular conditions. Most studies (32 or 94%) reported outcomes in favour of the telephone coaching intervention, although few (15%) employed any form of cost-benefit analysis (CBA). In order to obtain a better impression of overall service efficacy, more clearly defined service outcomes are required in future.