title: Patient appointment failures in pediatric resident continuity clinics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine appointment failure rates in pediatric resident continuity clinics nationally, and to identify characteristics of clinics with respect to factors that may affect appointment failure rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  A one-page questionnaire administered via facsimile machine to pediatric residencies' continuity clinic directors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 200 continuity clinic directors, 160 (80%) returned the survey. The mean no-show percentage was 30.9%, with a range of 3% to 80%. Among the factors studied, only mode of payment emerged as an independent predictor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Appointment failure is a substantial problem in pediatric resident continuity clinics, which needs attention if resident learning, patient care, and clinic efficiency are to be optimized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga, USA.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Rust
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Gallups
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Wilcox
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D010361:Patients; D010372:Pediatrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States