Non-attendance in general practice: a systematic review and its implications for access to primary health care.
BACKGROUND
Non-attendance in general practice has received increasing attention over the past few years. Its relationship with access to health care has been recognized and is of particular relevance in light of the access targets set out in the NHS Plan.


METHODS
The literature was searched for articles relating to non-attendance. Titles and abstracts were examined, and relevant articles obtained. Bibliographies were examined for further references. Articles that described interventions for reducing non-attendance that were comparative studies and that examined general appointments, as opposed to appointments for screening purposes for example, were of particular interest.


CONCLUSIONS
The epidemiology of non-attendance has been well described, but there is little work on the reasons for non-attendance. Evidence for effective interventions to improve attendance in primary care is lacking, and this may prove to be an area of research interest in the future. As well as specific interventions to reduce non-attendance, new approaches to health care access are required in order to tackle this issue.
George
Ajay
A
Centre for Primary and Community Care, University of Sunderland, Benedict Building, St George's Way, UK. ajay.george@sunderland.ac.uk
Rubin
Greg
G
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D005194:Family Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017010:Reminder Systems