The impact of reminder systems on reducing patient non-attendance to outpatient appointments: scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25758/set.901Keywords:
Non-attendance, No-show rate, Outpatient appointment, Reminder systems, Healthcare managementAbstract
Introduction – The non-attendance of outpatient clinic appointments is a prevalent and systematic issue that negatively impacts not only the effectiveness of healthcare systems but also patient health. Reminder systems have emerged as a promising solution to mitigate patient non-attendance. Objective – Synthesize the available evidence on the impact of reminder systems on the no-show rate (No-Show Rate, NSR) of patients in outpatient appointments. Based on the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, the research was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, using keywords such as no-show, missed appointments, or non-attendance, as well as reminder systems, combined through Boolean operators. The study design was developed according to the PRISMA-ScR items for Scoping Reviews, including only original research articles focused on reminder systems applied in the context of outpatient appointments. Methods – A total of 429 articles were identified, 15 of which were included in the analysis after applying the eligibility criteria. The implementation of reminder systems has proven effective in reducing the NSR of patients attending outpatient appointments, with a reduction of up to 40-50%. While SMS was the most used strategy, phone calls with appointment confirmation showed higher effectiveness in reducing the NSR. However, automated options remain equally valid when compared to the absence of reminders, highlighting the importance of evaluating the real needs of healthcare services to identify the most suitable solution. Conclusion – This review highlights the importance of reminder systems in reducing the no-show rate for outpatient appointments, contributing to the effectiveness of healthcare systems.
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