An investigation into the default rate at the Fife colposcopy clinic: implications for target setting

Abstract

These findings suggest that there are two distinct groups of defaulters: those who default initially but subsequently re-attend, and those who default completely. We have named these type A and type B defaulters, respectively. This means that attendance within a certain period of time should also be used to monitor clinic attendance in addition to simple mean attendance rates. As patients who default completely may be more likely to have a severe histological lesion, further work is required to identify factors associated with this type of patient.