Missed Opportunities in Pediatric Feeding Clinic: A Multivariate Analysis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare access
• Healthcare management
• Public health

Background:

• Patient non-attendance at pediatric ambulatory visits disrupts clinic workflow.
• Missed appointments limit patient access to essential healthcare services.
• No-shows result in significant financial losses for healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key determinants of patient non-attendance in pediatric ambulatory care.
• To analyze factors influencing missed appointments in young children.
• To inform strategies for reducing no-show rates and improving healthcare access.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 487 pediatric patients (≤4 years) scheduled between January and July 2023.
• Descriptive demographic analysis and examination of appointment lead time.
• Univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify non-attendance predictors.

Main Results:

• The overall missed opportunities rate was 30.2% (147 patients).
• Independent determinants of non-attendance included appointment lead time, marginalized populations, medication use, and prior no-shows.
• Multivariate logistic regression identified significant relationships between these variables and missed appointments.

Conclusions:

• Appointment lead time is the primary modifiable factor contributing to pediatric non-attendance.
• Non-modifiable factors highlight areas for targeted interventions to reduce missed appointments.
• Strategies to decrease no-shows should prioritize improving access for vulnerable pediatric patients in under-resourced communities.