Missed initial appointments at Israeli child development centres: Rate, reasons, and associated characteristics.

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Healthcare Management
• Public Health

Background:

• Missed appointments (MAs) at child development centres (ChDCs) disrupt timely diagnosis and treatment.
• MAs negatively impact organizational efficiency and resource allocation.
• Understanding MA drivers is crucial for improving pediatric care access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the rate and reasons for missed appointments at Israeli ChDCs.
• To identify factors associated with missed appointments in pediatric developmental services.
• To inform strategies for reducing appointment no-shows.

Main Methods:

• A nested case-control study involving 1143 children scheduled for initial ChDC appointments.
• Telephone interviews were conducted with parents of children who missed appointments and a control group who attended.
• Analysis focused on socio-demographic, clinical, and administrative variables.

Main Results:

• The overall missed appointment rate was 26.6%.
• Primary reasons included unexpected events (26.0%) and lack of insurance coverage (23.4%).
• Factors reducing MAs included prior rehabilitative interventions, detailed referral letters, telephone reminders, and insurance coverage.

Conclusions:

• Physician referral letters and personal reminders can effectively decrease missed appointments.
• Addressing family/child characteristics and administrative factors is key to ensuring timely pediatric care.
• Interventions targeting appointment adherence can improve service delivery at ChDCs.