OBJECTIVE: To assesses the efficacy of a brief telephone call to patients on a waiting list for physiotherapy treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction on initial attendance. DESIGN: A three-armed randomized control study. SETTING: An outpatient physiotherapy clinic at a hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 130 consecutively referred women patients (mean age of 51.47, range 26 to 84) with a variety of pelvic floor dysfunction problems. INTERVENTION: Support phone call (2 to 10 min) 3 days prior or 3-days after receiving an appointment invitation letter to physiotherapy sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attendance at the initial physiotherapy group session. RESULTS: Groups receiving a phone call demonstrated 80% attendance at the session, with no significant difference between these groups. The group receiving no call had significantly lower attendance rates (50%) than the phone call groups. The telephone support was more effective for those people who were older, came from less economically deprived areas, and had been on the waiting list for less time. CONCLUSION: Brief tele-support may be an effective method to enhance patient attendance at treatment, but it may work best when targeted at certain groups of individuals.

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