[The telephone accessibility of the prior appointment program].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the ease of access by telephone when making medical appointments.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, observational, random sample.


METHODS
Primary care, Murcia Region.


METHODS
Centres with a previous appointments system (n = 25) and a random sample of the 276 practitioners involved (n = 97). We ruled out 4 practitioners for not having a telephone in their outer consulting room.


RESULTS
We made telephone calls until we had obtained appointments with each of the practitioners, across three hour blocks. The result was an average of 2,333 calls/appointment, with a deflection of 2,271. The mode and median were 1, and the range 26. We found differences in the distribution of the calls across the three blocks (p < 0.05). Comparing rural centres with urban, we found a lower average number of calls in the first two blocks (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Telephone accessibility is at an appropriate level, both in rural and urban areas.
Sarmiento Gallego de la Sacristana
M
M
Gerencia de Atención Primaria, Sector de Murcia.
Martínez Sánchez
E
E
Marín López
J
J
López-Picazo Ferrer
J L
JL
Albaladejo Nicolás
E
E
Fernández Saura
M R
MR
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain; D013689:Telephone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Accesibilidad telefónica del programa de cita previa.