Influence of a nurse practitioner on non-attendance rate for barium enema

Non-attendance for barium enema investigation wastes resources, prolongs waiting times and delays diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma. In an inner-city hospital with a previous non-attendance rate of over 20% for barium enema we investigated the value of systematic personal contact with a nurse practitioner at the time of booking. We compared two groups of patients, all of whom received an explanation of the procedure from the referring clinician. Patients referred from the colorectal clinic were accompanied by the colorectal nurse practitioner to the radiology department for booking, an appointment being sent later by mail. The nurse practitioner reiterated the details of the procedure, provided supplementary information, confirmed the patient's contact details and provided a telephone number in case further information or assistance was needed. Patients referred from the gastroenterology clinic were managed as previously, making their own way to the radiology department and receiving supplementary information only on request. The patients referred from the two clinics were closely similar; however, the non-attendance rate for the intervention (colorectal) clinic was 4/157 (2.5%) compared with 17/110 (15.5%) for the comparison clinic (P<0.001). A year previously the non-attendance rates in these clinics had been 23% and 20%, respectively. These results indicate that personal contact, with supplementary information, can substantially reduce the non-attendance rate for barium enema.