Impact of same-day appointments on patient satisfaction with general practice appointment systems.
Following recent concerns about patients' inability to book appointments in advance, this study examined the relationship between the proportion of GP appointments reserved for same-day booking, and patient satisfaction with appointment systems. In a survey of 12,825 patients in 47 practices, it was found that a 10% increase in the proportion of same-day appointments was associated with an 8% reduction in the proportion of patients satisfied. Practices should be wary of increasing the level of same-day appointments to meet access targets.
Sampson
Fiona
F
School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. f.c.sampson@sheffield.ac.uk
Pickin
Mark
M
O'Cathain
Alicia
A
Goodall
Stephen
S
Salisbury
Chris
C
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013997:Time Factors
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