Causes of Nonattendance at Scheduled Outpatient Appointments

Case-control Study: Causes of Nonattendance at Clinical Medicine Scheduled Outpatient Appointments in a University General Hospital

Our aim was to identify the causes non-attendance at scheduled appointments at the Clinical Medicine Outpatient care system at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires (HIBA).

Nonattendance at scheduled appointments at outpatient clinics is a common problem in general medical practice, representing a significant cost to the health care system, and resulting in disruption of daily work planning.Nonattendance at medical appointments has consequences not only for doctors (as it requires a greater use of resources and time), but also for patients, because there may be deterioration in the quality of care, and dissatisfaction associated with delays in obtaining a new appointment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Over 17 years
• Adults who attended, did not attend and cancelled a scheduled appointment at the Clinical Medicine Outpatient care system at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires (HIBA)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refusal to register or to the informed consent process