Education Research: A new system for reducing patient nonattendance in residents' clinic

Price, Raymond S.; Balcer, Laura J.; Galetta, Steven

doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e3181d31de4

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

(28 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We later incorporated text reminders at 72 hours and 30 minutes prior to the appointment to reduce MAs. Some studies showed decreased rates of missed office appointments when patients were scheduled within 2 to 3 weeks 12 , 13 ; however, further study is needed to assess the impact for telehealth appointments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Attendance and Patient Experiences During the Expansion of a Telehealth‐Based Pediatric Otolaryngology Practice

Kolb

Born

Banker

et al. 2020

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To determine the rates and primary causes of missed appointments (MAs) for telehealth visits and present remedies for improvement. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted at a tertiary care pediatric otolaryngology practice during expansion of telehealth-based visits. A review of questionnaire responses was performed for 103 consecutive patients with MAs over 50 business days from March 20, 2020, to May 29, 2020. Families were asked a brief survey regarding the cause of the MA and assisted with technical support and rescheduling. MA rates and causes were analyzed. Results The overall MA rate during the initiation of telehealth services was significantly increased at 12.4% as compared with clinic-based visits of a similar duration before COVID of 5.2% ( P < .001). Technical issues were the most common causes of MAs (51.3%). Of the caregivers, 23.8% forgot or reported cancellation of the appointment. Five percent of patients were non–English speaking and scheduled without translator support. Minorities and patients with public insurance represented 53.6% and 61.9% of MAs, respectively. Discussion Technical difficulties were the most commonly reported cause of missed telehealth appointments. Optimization of applications by providing patient reminders, determining need for translator assistance, and reducing required upload/download speeds may significantly reduce rates of MAs and conversions to other communication. Implications for Practice Clear, concise education materials on the technical aspects of telehealth, platform optimization, and robust technical and administrative support may be necessary to reduced missed telehealth appointments and support large-scale telehealth operations. An assessment of institutional capacity is critical when considering telehealth expansion.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Attendance and Patient Experiences During the Expansion of a Telehealth‐Based Pediatric Otolaryngology Practice

Kolb

Born

Banker

et al. 2020

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Effect of an Online Appointment Scheduling System on Evaluation Metrics of Outpatient Scheduling System: a before-after MulticenterStudy

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A pragmatic trial to improve adherence with scheduled appointments in an inner-city pain clinic by human phone calls in the patient's preferred language

Andreae

Nair

Gabry

et al. 2017

Journal of Clinical Anesthesia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Study Objective We investigated if human reminder phone calls in the patient’s preferred language increase adherence with scheduled appointments in an inner-city chronic pain clinic. We hypothesized that language and cultural incongruence is the underlying mechanism to explain poor attendance at clinic appointments in underserved Hispanic populations. Design Pragmatic randomized controlled clinical trial Setting Innercity academic chronic pain clinic with a diverse, predominantly African-American and Hispanic population Patients All (n=963) adult patients with a scheduled first appointment between October 2014 and October 2015 at the Montefiore Pain Center in the Bronx, New York were enrolled. Interventions Patients were randomized to receive a human reminder call in their preferred language before their appointment, or no contact. Measurements We recorded patients’ demographic characteristics and as primary outcome attendance as scheduled, failure to attend and/or cancellation calls. We fit Bayesian and classical multinomial logistic regression models to test if the intervention improved adherence with scheduled appointments. Main Results Among the 953 predominantly African American and Hispanic/Latino patients, 475 patients were randomly selected to receive a language-congruent, human reminder call, while 478 were assigned to receive no prior contact, (after we excluded 10 patients, scheduled for repeat appointments). In the experimental group, 275 patients adhered to their scheduled appointment, while 84 cancelled and 116 failed to attend. In the control group, 249 patients adhered to their scheduled appointment, 31 cancelled and 198 failed to attend. Human phone reminders in the preferred language increased adherence (RR 1.89, CI95% [1.42, 1.42], (p<0.01). The intervention seemed particularly effective in Hispanic patients, supporting our hypothesis of cultural congruence as possible underlying mechanism. Conclusions Human reminder phone calls prior in the patient’s preferred language increased adherence with scheduled appointments. The intervention facilitated access to much needed care in an ethnically diverse, resource poor population, presumably by overcoming language barriers.

show abstract

Education Research: A new system for reducing patient nonattendance in residents' clinic

Abstract: Background: Patient nonattendance in neurology and other subspecialty clinics is closely linked to

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Improving Attendance and Patient Experiences During the Expansion of a Telehealth‐Based Pediatric Otolaryngology Practice

Improving Attendance and Patient Experiences During the Expansion of a Telehealth‐Based Pediatric Otolaryngology Practice

Effect of an Online Appointment Scheduling System on Evaluation Metrics of Outpatient Scheduling System: a before-after MulticenterStudy

A pragmatic trial to improve adherence with scheduled appointments in an inner-city pain clinic by human phone calls in the patient's preferred language

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About