%0 Journal Article
%T Effect of standardized reminder calls on trauma patient no-show rate
%J Journal of the American Academy of Surgeons
%D 2023
%A Bauerle, Wayne B.
%A Reese, Vanessa
%A Stoltzfus, Jill
%A Benton, Adam
%A Knipe, Joshua
%A Wilde-Onia, Rebecca
%A Castillo, Roberto
%A Thomas, Peter
%A Cipolla, James
%A Braverman, Maxwell A.
%V ePub
%N ePub
%P ePub-ePub
%X INTRODUCTION: Most patients who sustain a traumatic injury require outpatient follow-up. A common barrier to outpatient post-admission care is patient failure to follow-up. One of the most significant factors resulting in failure to follow-up is age greater than 35 years old. Recent work has shown that follow-up phone calls reduce readmission rates. Our aim was to decrease no-show appointments by 10% in 12 months. <br><br>METHODS: The electronic medical records at our level I and level II trauma centers were queried for all outpatient appointments for trauma between July 1, 2020 and June 9, 2021 and whether the patient attended their follow-up appointment. Patients with visits scheduled after Aug 1, 2021 received 24- and 48-hour pre-visit reminder calls. Patients scheduled between July 1, 2020 and Aug 1, 2021 did not receive pre-visit calls. Both groups were compared using multivariable direct logistic regression models. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of n = 1822 follow-up opportunities were included in the study. During the pre-implementation phase, there was a no-show rate of 30.9% (329 of 1064 visits). Post-intervention, a 12.2% reduction in overall no-show rate occurred. A statistically significant 11.2% decrease (p < 0.001) was seen in elderly patients. Multivariate analysis showed standardized calls resulted in significantly decreased odds of failing to keep an appointment (AOR = 0.610, p < 0.001). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Reminder calls led to a 12.2% reduction in no-show rate and were an independent predictor of a patient's likelihood of attending their appointment. Other predictors of attendance included insurance status and abdominal injury.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Elsevier Publishing
%@ 1072-7515
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/XCS.0000000000000898