Journal article
Missed appointments at a Swiss university outpatient clinic.
- Lehmann TN Département de Médecine Communautaire, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland. thalia.lehmann@medecine.unige.ch
- Aebi A
- Lehmann D
- Balandraux Olivet M
- Stalder H
- 2007-06-09
Published in:
- Public health. - 2007
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Appointments and Schedules
Female
Hospitals, University
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Outpatient Clinics, Hospital
Patient Compliance
Switzerland
English
OBJECTIVE
To assess the appointment conditions and characteristics of patients who miss their appointments ('no-shows'); this will aid in the formulation of intervention methods to reduce no-show rates.
METHODS
During a one-month period, data on all no-shows at the general internal medicine outpatient clinic of the Geneva University Hospitals were collected. Control patients were matched for appointment time and gender. Patient and appointment characteristics were collated on 13 parameters, and these were compared between no-shows and controls.
RESULTS
Two hundred and six of 1296 appointments were no-shows (15.8%). Compared with controls, no-shows were younger, born earlier in the year, more often were not Europeans, more often had a common language with the physician or translator (no communication problems), and more often had a follow-up (not first) appointment. Other parameters were not significant (appointment day of week and time of day, gender, residency status, insurance coverage, family physician, medical consequences, covert addiction).
CONCLUSIONS
The no-show rate was within the range for comparable settings. Several parameters associated with no-shows reflected specifics of a hospital-based adult outpatient clinic that mainly serves middle-to-low socio-economic classes and is a referral clinic for refugees in a middle-sized European city with a high percentage of foreigners with different backgrounds and languages. Planned interventions should consider local factors.
To assess the appointment conditions and characteristics of patients who miss their appointments ('no-shows'); this will aid in the formulation of intervention methods to reduce no-show rates.
METHODS
During a one-month period, data on all no-shows at the general internal medicine outpatient clinic of the Geneva University Hospitals were collected. Control patients were matched for appointment time and gender. Patient and appointment characteristics were collated on 13 parameters, and these were compared between no-shows and controls.
RESULTS
Two hundred and six of 1296 appointments were no-shows (15.8%). Compared with controls, no-shows were younger, born earlier in the year, more often were not Europeans, more often had a common language with the physician or translator (no communication problems), and more often had a follow-up (not first) appointment. Other parameters were not significant (appointment day of week and time of day, gender, residency status, insurance coverage, family physician, medical consequences, covert addiction).
CONCLUSIONS
The no-show rate was within the range for comparable settings. Several parameters associated with no-shows reflected specifics of a hospital-based adult outpatient clinic that mainly serves middle-to-low socio-economic classes and is a referral clinic for refugees in a middle-sized European city with a high percentage of foreigners with different backgrounds and languages. Planned interventions should consider local factors.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.01.007
- PMID 17555782
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/21173
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