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. 2020 Jan;35(1):207-220.
doi: 10.1002/hpm.2890. Epub 2019 Aug 26.

Causes of appointment attendance, nonattendance, and cancellation in outpatient consultations at a university hospital

Agustina Briatore  1 , Estefania Veronica Tarsetti  2 , Agustin Latorre  3 , Fernan Gonzalez Bernaldo de Quirós  4   5 , Daniel Luna  1 , Nora Angélica Fuentes  4 , Cristina Maria Elizondo  4   5 , Analia Baum  1 , Marina Alonso Serena  4 , Diego Hernán Giunta  4   5   6
Affiliations

Causes of appointment attendance, nonattendance, and cancellation in outpatient consultations at a university hospital

Agustina Briatore et al. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Nonattendance to scheduled appointments in outpatient clinics is a frequent problem in ambulatory medicine with an impact on health systems and patients' health. The characterization of nonattendance is fundamental for the design of appropriate strategies for its management.

Aims: To identify causes of nonattendance of scheduled ambulatory medical appointments by adult patients.

Methods: Case and two controls study nested in a prospective cohort. A telephone-administered questionnaire was applied within the first 72 hours to identify the causes of attendance, nonattendance, or cancellation in patients who had a scheduled appointment to which they had been present, absent, or cancelled.

Results: A total of 150 absences (cases), 176 attendances, and 147 cancellations (controls) in a prospective cohort of 160 146 scheduled appointments (2012/2013) were included. According to self-reports in telephone interviews, the most frequent causes of nonattendance were forgetting 44% (66), unexpected competing events 15.3% (23), illness or unwellness 12% (18), work-related inconvenience 5.3% (8), transport-related difficulties 4.7% (4), and cause that motivated appointment scheduling already resolved 4.7% (4).

Discussion: The main cause of nonattendance is forgetting the scheduled appointment, but there is a proportion of different causes that do not respond to reminders but could respond to different strategies.

Keywords: absenteeism; hospital; outpatient clinics; presenteeism.

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References

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