Non Attendance at Scheduled Appointments as a Marker of Mortality and Hospital Admission

Non Attendance at Scheduled Appointments as a Marker of Visits in the Emergency Department, Hospitalization and Mortality

To evaluate the association of non attendance at scheduled appointments with visits in the emergency department, hospitalizations and mortality during one year follow up.

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 a scheduled appointment at the Outpatient care system at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires (HIBA)

Exclusion Criteria:

- The refusal to register or to the informed consent process.