<p>Who Misses Appointments Made Online? Retrospective Analysis of the Outpatient Department of a General Hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province, China</p>

Abstract

Purpose: Missed appointments in outpatient registration pose challenges for hospital administrators, especially in the context of China's shortage of medical resources. Previous studies have identified factors that affect healthcare access via traditional appointment systems. Few studies, however, have specifically investigated Internet appointment systems. Therefore, this study explored the key factors related to missed appointments made on the Internet appointment system of a general hospital in Jinan, Shandong Province. Methods: Online appointment data were collected from the outpatient department of a general hospital in Jinan from September 2017 to February 2018. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relative importance of eight variables: gender, age, interval between scheduling and appointment, day of the week, physician's academic rank, appointment fee, previous missed appointments, and clinical department. Results: A total of 48,777 online appointment records were collected, which included a 15% no-show rate. The key factors associated with no-shows included age, interval between scheduling and appointment, previous missed appointments, and clinical department. No significant relationships were found between no-shows and gender, day of the week, and appointment fee. Conclusion: No-show rates were influenced by many factors. Based on this study's findings, targeted measures can be taken to decrease no-show frequency and improve medical efficiency.

Are We Losing Connection? Lived Experience of Online Mutual Aid Groups During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Illuminating variations in online mutual aid experiences has utility, as it points to potential demographic factors that could be the subject of further empirical enquiry. Extant research has highlighted demographic variables associated with engagement with various online services, relating to age (DeAndrea & Anthony, 2013; Su et al, 2020), minority subgroups (DeAndrea & Anthony, 2013) and income (Lucas et al, 2020). Future quantitative research could examine the relationship between variables associated with digital poverty 6 and online service outcomes.…”

Impact of digital self-scheduling on operations management and patient experience in hospital outpatient settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Habibi et al [14] investigated the effect of online appointment scheduling system by a before and after study, which shows that DSS could reduce patient waiting time and no-show rates, increased physician punctuality, and facilitated continuous quality improvement of outpatient services. Su et al [15] pointed out that DSS has shown unprecedented predictive value in allocating medical resources by considering the factors of no-show events. Besides, the impact of DSS in improving scheduling efficiency, staff workforce, and institutional benefits has also been widely reported [16,17].…”