We wondered if anyone had experience around: allowing patients to choose their own ‘next appointment’ date VS auto-assigned next appointment by a clerk or a system (usually the case).
We were curious if this alone increases % appointments kept.
@EddieMulwa shared a little about this live on the 13-Oct DUC call. He may have additional details to share.
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In our program, during a clinic visit, the provider discusses with the patient on the dates that would be most appropriate for the patient to return for a clinic visit, as long as the dates falls within the range of what is required by guidelines e.g. if the patient is supposed to come back after 3 months, the date is identified based on calculation and then the patient determines if the actual date is convenient or whether a few days before or after is more convenient. The expectation being that a date suggested by the patient should result in the patient keeping the appointment. Whether this alone increases %age appointment kept is unlikely but I believe there are studies that exist around this topic.