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Patient appointment failures in pediatric resident continuity clinics
C T Rust1, N H Gallups, W S Clark
1Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga, USA.
Objectives:
To determine appointment failure rates in pediatric resident continuity clinics nationally, and to identify characteristics of clinics with respect to factors that may affect appointment failure rates.
Design:
A one-page questionnaire administered via facsimile machine to pediatric residencies' continuity clinic directors.
Results:
Of 200 continuity clinic directors, 160 (80%) returned the survey. The mean no-show percentage was 30.9%, with a range of 3% to 80%. Among the factors studied, only mode of payment emerged as an independent predictor.
Conclusions:
Appointment failure is a substantial problem in pediatric resident continuity clinics, which needs attention if resident learning, patient care, and clinic efficiency are to be optimized.