Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40160336›Full record

ArticleClinical epidemiology2025

Non-Attendance in Hospital Appointments Based on Data From the Entire Region of Southern Denmark: Descriptive Analyses and Predictive Factors.

Bente Mertz Nørgård, Maria Iachina, Jette Ammentorp, Daria M Schwalbe, Karin Yde Waidtløw, Luna Richardt, Morten Sodemann

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Bente Mertz NørgårdCenter for Clinical Epidemiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9514-3033
Maria IachinaCenter for Clinical Epidemiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-5319-9285
Jette AmmentorpCentre for Research in Patient Communication, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-6249-9431
Daria M SchwalbeCentre for Research in Patient Communication, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-5918-8819
Karin Yde WaidtløwCentre for Research in Patient Communication, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0009-0005-7043-4917
Luna RichardtCentre for Research in Patient Communication, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0009-0002-7826-8405
Morten SodemannDepartment of Infectious Diseases and The Migrant Health Outpatient Clinic, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-8992-2500

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: We aimed to analyse the characteristics related to non-attendance at general outpatient hospital clinics in patients aged ≥18 years. An increased focus has been directed towards patient non-attendance at hospital appointments as it is related to patient risk and waste of resources in the healthcare system. Patients and Methods: In this cohort study, we retrieved data from the entire Region of Southern Denmark on i) non-attendance from the electronic medical journals from January 1, 2021 until December 31, 2022, and ii) data on all attended appointments from Danish health registries in the same period. We analysed the overall proportion of non-attendance, and characteristics of patients with non-attendance, relative to those who attended an appointment. We examined hospital type and patient demographics (age, sex, comorbidity, socioeconomic factors). Results: Included were 614,157 patients, of which 12,244 were patients with a first non-attendance and 601,913 patients with a first attended appointment. The overall non-attendance proportion was 2.0%. The most prevalent type of underlying disease among non-attendant patients was musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases (10%), which was also the most prevalent group of diseases among patients who attended hospital appointments (11%). In the regression model, compared to those who attended, the two strongest associations for non-attendance were patients aged 18-34 years, aOR=2.69 (95% CI 2.52-2.85), and patients diagnosed with mental/behavioral disorders, aOR=2.60 (95% CI 2.39-2.82). Other sociodemographic factors were associated with non-attendance including male sex (aOR=1.90 (95% CI 1.82-1.96)), patients aged 35-54 years (aOR=1.89 (95% CI 1.78-2.01)), living alone (aOR=1.72 (95% CI 1.65-1.79)), and not Danish nationality (aOR=1.65 (95% CI 1.57-1.74)). Conclusion: Based on data from the Region of Southern Denmark (corresponding to 20% of the Danish population), the non-attendance proportion was low (2.0%). More research is needed, including other data-sets validating our findings, validation of registration practices, and qualitative research aspects of non-attendance.

Indexed as

cancellationfailed appointmentshospital appointmentsnon-attendanceorganizationregional hospitalsspecialized hospital

Identifiers

PMID40160336
PMCPMC11954484

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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.