Lowering broken appointment rates at a medical clinic.

Abstract

Three methods designed to reduce broken appointment rates among lower socioeconomic group patients were compared at a University Medical Clinic. Patients reminded of scheduled appointments by postcard had broken appointment rates of 13.7 per cent as compared to those telephoned by nurses (19.5%) or physicians (17.6%); all three groups had lower rates than a control group (24.6%). Although telephoning was effective when the patient was contacted, over 40 per cent of the patients could not be reached. It thus appears that postal notification is the most effective method, providing a simple way to substantially reduce broken appointment rates.