Effect of a computer-generated telephone reminder system on appointment attendance

Abstract

This was a prospective, longitudinal, randomized study designed to determine the effects of a computer-generated telephone reminder system, HouseCalls™, on the appointment attendance of patients undergoing active orthodontic treatment in a university orthodontic clinic. A total of 228 patients were randomly assigned to two groups. The patients in the call group (n = 114) with 495 scheduled appointments received a computer-generated reminder the night before their appointment. The no-call group containing 114 patients with 541 scheduled appointments received no reminder. The call group had 22 broken appointments (4.4% broken appointment rate) and the no-call group had 46 broken appointments (8.5% broken appointment rate). The call group had a significantly lower broken appointment rate (χ 2 , P