Parent Perspectives on Appointment Nonattendance: A Descriptive Study

Appointment nonattendance is a phenomenon that has been studied in a variety of settings. Increased nonattendance rates may result in lost productivity, patient and provider dissatisfaction, and difficulty recruiting staff and physicians. In addition, needed care for patients may be delayed. The pur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatric nursing 2016-07, Vol.42 (4), p.181-188
Main Authors: Touch, Jacqueline, Berg, Jill P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Ambulatory care
Ambulatory Care Facilities - statistics & numerical data
Appointments and Schedules
Child
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Chronic illnesses
Clinics
Content analysis
Costs
Families & family life
Family (Sociological Unit)
Female
Health Services
Hospitals
Hospitals, Pediatric - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Interviews
Male
Management
Medical appointments and schedules
Methods Research
Negative Attitudes
Nurses
Nursing
Parents
Parents & parenting
Parents - psychology
Patient Compliance - statistics & numerical data
Pediatric clinics
Pediatrics
Physicians
Population
Principals
Referral
Research Design
Semi Structured Interviews
Young Adult
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Summary:Appointment nonattendance is a phenomenon that has been studied in a variety of settings. Increased nonattendance rates may result in lost productivity, patient and provider dissatisfaction, and difficulty recruiting staff and physicians. In addition, needed care for patients may be delayed. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine parental perspectives regarding appointment nonattendance in pediatric specialty care clinics in order to better understand the facilitators and barriers to successful appointment attendance. An exploratory, descriptive approach was chosen for this study. Eight parents of children ages five years and younger were interviewed regarding appointment attendance in specialty care clinics, and conventional content analysis was used to identify themes. Findings suggest that multiple factors are associated with nonattendance, including child/family system and provider/healthcare system factors. Reducing wait times for specialty appointments (from time of scheduling to appointment date), coordinating multiple services, and offering convenient appointment times may be beneficial in optimizing appointment attendance.
ISSN:0097-9805