Prospective randomized controlled study of patient compliance in using a compression stocking: Importance of recommendations of the practitioner as a factor for better compliance

BackgroundPatient compliance is the cornerstone of compression therapy success. However, there has been up to now no tool to assess it other than self-reporting by the patient, which is not reliable.Material and methodsForty active females classified C2S were enrolled to wear compression stockings (CS) providing a pressure of 15–20 mmHg at the ankle.A thermal probe was inserted in the stocking (Thermotrack®), recording the skin temperature every 20 min for four weeks.The patients were randomized in two groups of 20: – Group 1: Receiving minimal recommendations by their physician at the office.– Group 2: Receiving in-depth recommendations by the physician reinforced with SMS message which were repeated once a week for four weeks.The basic CEAP classification and the quality of life (QoL) were recorded before and after four weeks.ResultsThe two groups are similar for age, symptoms and type of CS.The analysis of the thermal curves showed a significant increase (+33%) in the average wearing time daily in the ...