Investigating the Influence of Patient Eligibility Characteristics on the Number of Deferrable Rheumatologist Visits: Planning for a Patient-Initiated Follow-Up Strategy.

PIFU may result in a more efficient use of specialist healthcare resources. However, the applicability of such models of care and the number of deferred visits is highly dependent on patient characteristics used to establish eligibility criteria for that model. These findings should be considered when planning implementation trials.