Arriving prepared: Automated telephone messages improve appointment adherence
D.G. Morrow, W.E. Menard, H.E. Ridolfo, V.O. Leirer
Full text PDF 
( Download count: 1229)
AbstractObjectives Appointment nonadherence increases health care costs and reduces treatment efficacy. Nonadherence not only involves failure to show up for appointments, but failure to follow preappointment procedures. We examined the impact of automated telephone messages on adherence to pre-appointment procedures by younger, middle-aged, and older adults who were participating in a study in our lab. Methods The evening before their appointment for a study, all participants received an automated reminder message that included the appointment date and time (Basic message). For half of the participants, the message also included a reminder about the preappointment procedure that all participants were required to perform (Enhanced message). Adherence to this pre-appointment procedure was measured when participants arrived at the lab, as well as their reactions to the automated message. Results The enhanced automated message improved adherence to the pre-appointment procedure, compared to the message that did not contain the pre-appointment information, for all age groups. Participants in both conditions rated the messages as easy to understand and as generally useful. There was some evidence that middle-aged adults were less adherent, regardless of type of message received. Conclusions Automated messages may improve treatment efficacy and reduce health care costs by instructing patients on how to arrive prepared for their appointments as well as by reducing no-show rates.Keywords: missed appointments; aging; automated voice messaging; health communication
D.G. Morrow, W.E. Menard, H.E. Ridolfo, V.O. Leirer (2003). Arriving prepared: Automated telephone messages improve appointment adherence. Gerontechnology, 2(3), 247-254
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2003.02.03.003.00