Factors Associated With Nonattendance at the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic

Abstract

Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are a complex population for whom adult CHD-specific care results in better outcomes. Our objective was to identify factors associated with no-shows and cancelations in an adult CHD (ACHD) clinic and evaluate the efficacy of a social worker intervention to promote ambulatory follow-up. The medical record identified adults with a scheduled appointment in the adult CHD clinic from January 2017 to March 2021. Social worker intervention was performed between March 2020 and May 2021 and consisted of phone calls to those who did not show up. Logistic regression and descriptive statistics were performed. Of 8,431 scheduled visits, 56.7% were completed, 4.6% were no-shows, and 17.5% were canceled by patients. The factors associated with no-shows were Medicaid (odds ratio [OR] 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26 to 2.12, p <0.001), previous no-show (OR per 1% increase in previous no-show rate 1.13, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.15, p <0.001), satellite clinic location (OR 3.15, 95% CI 2.06 to 4.74, p <0.001), virtual visit (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.92, p=0.001), and Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.10, p=0.031). The factors associated with cancelations were female gender (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.68, p <0.001) and virtual visits (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.50 to 3.40, p <0.001). Social worker outreach calls did not impact frequency of rescheduling. No patients accepted additional support. In conclusion, Medicaid insurance, previous number of no-shows, and Hispanic ethnicity were found to be associated with a higher risk of no-show, identifying a high-risk population that may benefit from targeted interventions. Social worker outreach did not have an appreciable impact on the rescheduling rates.