Appointment Wait Time, Primary Care Provider Status, and Patient Demographics are Associated With Nonattendance at Outpatient Gastroenterology Clinic

Abstract

Wait time, ethnicity, marital status, and PCP status were associated with missed GI clinic appointments. Further investigations are needed to assess the effects of intervention strategies directed at reducing appointment wait time and increasing PCP-based care.

Non-attendance of occupational and physiotherapy appointments at Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre: a description of associated factors

“…Furthermore, all categories within marital status had a greater frequency of attenders, which is similar to a study conducted by Shrestha and Hu 22 where the authors found that patients that attended scheduled appointments were mostly married. Alternatively, age was not associated with any particular outcome.…”

“…This contrasts with studies in which gender was identified as a factor that influenced non-attendance rates. In two studies, being female was identified as a predictor of non-attendance 21,22 whereas the two studies by Ntamo et al 33 and Langhorne et al 8 found that being male was associated with non-attendance.…”

“…The results from research conducted at an outpatient gastroenterology clinic, in the USA indicated that individuals who are single are less likely to attend follow-up appointments, in comparison to married individuals 22 . Similarly, research in New York City, USA 23 studied patient compliance with short term treatment for lower back pain, and found that patients who were single or unmarried, were less likely to attend 23 .…”

Use of Appropriate Surveillance for Patients With Nondysplastic Barrett’s Esophagus

“…21,22 Within gastroenterology, the presence of a PCP at a center has been associated with an increased likelihood of patients attending their outpatient gastroenterology clinic appointments and improved coordination of colorectal cancer screening. 23,24 PCPs also have an expanding role in the management of patients with Hepatitis C and cirrhosis. 23–25 However, to our knowledge, the role of PCPs in the management of patients with BE has not yet been explored.…”

Demographic-related variables impact subjective experiences of patient wait times and perceived attention afforded in surgical outpatient clinic encounters

“…In the outpatient setting, wait time has served as an intuitive focus of study, with longer wait periods thought to correlate negatively with perceived quality of care. 3,4 Still, the patient's perception of unfavorable or unacceptable periods of waiting may be influenced by a myriad of factors unrelated to quality of clinical care. Ordinarily, physicians may not be equipped to balance the individual needs presented by varying patient demographic factors such as race, socioeconomic status, gender, cultural and social norms, or education level.…”