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Broken appointments at a neighborhood health center. Emphasis on weather
Insights
High rates of broken appointments plague the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, particularly for pediatric and medicine departments. Broken appointment frequency correlates with Mondays, afternoons, evenings, and precipitation.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Public Health
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Broken appointments represent a significant operational challenge for healthcare facilities.
- The Anthony L. Jordan Health Center has experienced persistent issues with missed appointments since its inception in 1968.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the patterns and contributing factors of broken appointments within pediatric and medicine departments.
- To identify specific days, times, and weather conditions associated with higher rates of missed appointments.
Main Methods:
- A 6-month retrospective study was conducted on appointment data.
- Correlation analysis was used to examine relationships between broken appointments and scheduling factors, including day, time, and weather.
Main Results:
- Overall broken appointment rates were found to be 48% for pediatric and 43% for medicine appointments.
- Daily broken appointment rates showed significant correlation between the two departments.
- Highest rates of broken appointments occurred on Mondays, during afternoon/evening hours, and on days with precipitation.
Conclusions:
- Appointment scheduling, specific days (Mondays), times (afternoons/evenings), and weather conditions (precipitation) are significantly associated with broken appointments.
- Understanding these correlations can inform targeted interventions to reduce appointment no-shows.
Abstract:
Broken appointments have been a major problem at the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center since it opened in 1968. In an earlier 6-month study of broken appointments at the center the authors found 48% of pediatric appointments and 43% of medicine appointments to be broken. Daily broken appointment rates were correlated between the two departments and were associated with day and time scheduled and with certain weather conditions. Specifically, highest broken appointment rates were noted for Mondays, for afternoon and evening hours, and for days with precipitation.