Addressing missed care opportunities in a pediatric subspecialty program
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Clinic no-shows, now referred to as missed care opportunities (MCOs), pose significant challenges to healthcare delivery, leading to suboptimal patient outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Traditional approaches to understanding MCOs often rely on demographic data, overlooking patients' and caregivers' nuanced experiences and perspectives. Few studies have addressed this gap by adopting a bottom-up approach prioritizing patient engagement and insight.Specific Aims: Our study aimed to identify factors contributing to MCOs among pediatric patients at a gastroenterology clinic using patient feedback in a bottom-up approach and to help design a patient-centric, algorithm-based appointment reminder system.
METHODS: We utilized over-the-phone surveys with pediatric patient caregivers to gather detailed insights into the reasons behind MCOs. The surveys focused on appointment reminders, language preferences, access to interpreter services, and suggestions for improving appointment attendance. The data were analyzed to identify key themes and inform future interventions.
RESULTS: Our findings highlighted several critical areas for intervention, including the importance of caller ID in survey response rates, the preference for text message reminders, and the need for language-sensitive communication methods. Barriers such as digital access issues and limited access to interpreter services were also identified as contributing factors to MCOs.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the importance of patient-centered strategies in reducing MCO rates and improving healthcare access. Utilizing patient insights, we achieved a new perspective that wasn’t situation-naive on reducing MCO rates. We hope to use this data to develop a more tailored and effective appointment reminder system that addresses pediatric patients' and caregivers' unique needs and preferences.
Description
2024