Missed appointments waste a lot of time and millions of dollars in the healthcare sector. A study at a major hospital in Riyadh* found a missed appointment rate of 30%, which makes efficient resource planning almost impossible. Another study focused on the ENT Department at a major hospital put the missed appointment rate at 40%.
Phone calls to remind patients before their appointments would mean that many more people showed up. But most healthcare providers don’t have the resources to call every patient personally. Other options such as SMS or email reminders are frequently missed or ignored.
Two of the major causes of missed appointments identified in the study were the time lag between booking and the appointment, and forgetfulness. Many healthcare providers are wondering what can be done to reduce the problem.