ArticleJRSM open2016
Why children do not attend their appointments: is there a need for an interface between general practitioners and hospitals allowing for the exchange of patients' contact details?
Article in JRSM open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
- Characterising the nationwide burden and predictors of unkept outpatient appointments in the National Health Service in England: A cohort study using a machine learning approach.PLoS medicine · 2021Article
- Parents and teachers of children in special education settings value in-school eyecare and written reports of visual status.PloS one · 2020Article
- Findings from an opt-in eye examination service in English special schools. Is vision screening effective for this population?PloS one · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesA service evaluation project on the reasons why children do not attend their outpatient appointments.
designAnalysis of paediatric clinic lists over two consecutive days. Parents of the non-attenders were identified and their reasons for not attending the appointment were elicited using a survey.
settingThe appointments were scheduled to take place in the Paediatric department at St. Mary's Hospital, London.
participantsOf the 201 appointments scheduled, 49 patients did not attend their paediatric appointment. Telephone contact was successful with 35 parents.
main outcome measuresParents were asked to verify if their contact details were correct, if they were aware of the appointment and if they had received a reminder. The reasons for non-attendance were explored.
resultsOf the 49 non-attenders, correct contact details were held on file for 24 of the patients (49.0%). Of the 35 parents contacted, 18 were aware (51.4%) of their child's appointment.
conclusionsThis project revealed that the principal reason for non-attendance is unawareness of the appointment due to incorrect contact details held by the hospital. Potential strategies for reducing non-attendance at this paediatric outpatient clinic include developing a confirmation or reminder system and improved communication with parents. The creation of a new interface between hospitals and GPs would allow hospitals to access patient contact details held by GPs. It would also ensure that hospitals hold up-to-date patient contact details and that appointment details are effectively communicated to parents. The interface would automatically feed through any updated patient details, keeping hospital records current.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.