Abstract
Background and aimCanceled and missed appointments at the endoscopy unit affect the quality of the provided services and can negatively impact patient outcomes. Assessing the association between the various factors relating to nonattendance will show whether the defective aspects are organizational or personal, which is essential to improve the quality of the healthcare system. Moreover, this study will be of value in our region due to the current scarcity of studies in the Middle East.MethodsA descriptive study was conducted at King Khaled University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A database of participants was established from those who missed/canceled their outpatient endoscopy clinic appointment; purposive sampling was applied, excluding those who are under 14 years old. Demographic data and organizational factors (e.g., referred clinic and the lead time) were collected from the patients’ files and a structured interview done by phone within 7-14 days of the missed/canceled appointment. ResultsA total of 919 endoscopy procedures were scheduled in an eight-week period, and 179 procedures were missed/canceled (19.48%); 84% were missed, and 16% were canceled. The highest percentage of the population had a high-school diploma or less. The results showed that roughly half of the patients were unemployed. More than two-thirds of the patients had undergone an endoscopy within the past year or less. The majority stated that they underwent the procedure in a different facility, which might be due to various reasons, one of which could be justified as long lead time. ConclusionAn annual update of patients’ files is suggested. Text messages can help serve as a reminder in addition to clear appointment instructions that will aid in minimizing the absence rates. Overbooking is recommended to decrease the lead time and increase clinic efficiency. Raising patients’ awareness regarding the effect of missing appointments as well as upgrading the communication methods will assist in decreasing the rate of missed appointments.
Highlights
Canceled and missed outpatient endoscopy appointments are an issue faced daily in the endoscopy units globally [1]
Canceled and missed appointments at the endoscopy unit affect the quality of the provided services and can negatively impact patient outcomes
Assessing the association between the various factors relating to nonattendance will show whether the defective aspects are organizational or personal, which is essential to improve the quality of the healthcare system
Summary
Canceled and missed outpatient endoscopy appointments are an issue faced daily in the endoscopy units globally [1] It is considered as a challenge since they affect the quality of the provided services and healthcare provider performance, and have a tremendous impact on the patients’ waiting time, as well as delaying the diagnosis of many serious conditions. A significant proportion of the missed appointments will be rescheduled eventually, thereby adding a burden to an already loaded waiting list [4] This is an issue faced by many departments in the medical field but is more significant for colonoscopy clinics due to the high costs of procedures, which is an estimated net loss of $725 per day for the average facility [5].
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