1. Missed appointments at a NHS dental practice
- Author
-
Herrera, Maria Inés, Mar Molinero, Cecilio, and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Institut d'Organització i Control de Sistemes Industrials
- Subjects
Servicio Nacional de Salud (Reino Unido) ,Distribution mixtures ,Odontologia -- Casos, històries clíniques, estadístiques ,Clínica dental ,Servei Nacional de Salut (Regne Unit) ,Dental clinics ,humanities ,Seguretat social -- Regne Unit -- Models economètrics ,National Health Services ,Programación de visitas ,Economia i organització d'empreses [Àrees temàtiques de la UPC] ,National Health Service (United Kingdom) ,Programació de visites ,health care economics and organizations ,Appointments and schedules - Abstract
Missed appointments create many problems in dental practices, as those patients who fail to turn up deprive other patients of an opportunity for treatment. This paper reports on a study of failures to attend appointments without giving advance notice in a NHS practice in the UK. A sample of 588 patients is analysed using Logit and Distribution Mixtures in order to devise policies to improve no-show rates. It is shown that a policy based on de-registration of patients who fail to attend an appointment would be justified on statistical grounds and would work in the long run, but that such policy would not improve things in the short run and can make them worse. The paper also discusses emergency treatment and workload at the practice.