title: Out-patient management and non-attendance in the current economic climate. How best to manage our resources?
abstract: Outpatient non-attendance is a considerable source of inefficiency in the health service, wasting time, resources and potentially lengthening waiting lists, Given the current economic climate, methods need to be employed to reduce non-attendance. The aim was to analyse outpatient non-attendance and determine what factors influence attendance. A prospective audit over a two-month period to a tertiary-referral Urological service was performed to determine the clinical and demographic profile of non-attendees. Of 737 appointments, 148 (20%) patients did not attend (DNA). A benign urological condition was evident in 116 cases (78%). This group of patients also accounted for the majority of new patients not attending 40/47, returning patients not attending 101/148 and the majority of patients who missed multiple appointments 43/49. Patients with benign conditions make up the majority of clinic non-attendance. Consideration may be given to discharging such patients back to their general practitioner after one unexplained non-attendance until other alternatives of follow up are available.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity Centre, St James Hospital, James's St, Dublin 8. derek.hennessey@gmail.com
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lennon
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quinlan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mulvin
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010045:Outpatients; D011446:Prospective Studies; D040841:Resource Allocation; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*