Abstract
Missed appointments have a great economic, social and administrative impact on the management of public health services. This research aimed to study factors associated with non-attendance to the first appointments of pediatric patients in secondary dental care services in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was performed using secondary data from the electronic health records of the Curitiba Municipal Secretary of Health. The study included all children (0-12 years) referred to secondary dental clinics in the years 2010 to 2013. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test and Pearson linear trend chi-square (α = 0.05). Binary logistic regression models were built. Data from 1,663 children were assessed and the prevalence of non-attendance was 28.3%. The variables associated with the non-attendance in inferential analysis (p < 0.05) and in the final model were the household income per capita (95% CI: 1.93-2.82) and the waiting time in virtual queue (95% CI: 1.000-1.002). Socioeconomic aspects and the waiting time in virtual queue, should be considered in the strategic planning of health services as they may influence the attendance of pediatric patients in secondary dental referral service.
Highlights
In Brazil, public dental care is organized through the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS)[1]
The mean time on the waiting list was 3.2 ± 0.1 months for patients who appeared for appointments in secondary pediatric dental care and 3.9 ± 0.1 months for those who failed to appear for their appointments
The failure of children to appear for their first dental appointment in secondary care was frequent and associated with a longer time on the waiting list
Summary
In Brazil, public dental care is organized through the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS)[1]. This system provides universal access to health services at all levels of health assistance. Failure to appear for scheduled appointments with no prior notification of cancellation in secondary healthcare has proven to be a major challenge for public administrators because it negatively influences indicators of the quality of services that are offered to the population in all realms of healthcare[4,5,6]. The first appointment in secondary dental care is mainly a time during which the patient ensures the continuation of treatment within the public oral healthcare network. Failure to appear for further appointments leads to a lack of continuity of the planned treatment, which negatively impacts the individual’s oral health and leads to a waste of both human and material resources that are allocated to such appointments[7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
