No shows cost hospital dearly
BY REBECCA THOMSON - THE WELLINGTONIAN
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The Wellingtonian
Thousands of operations and specialist appointments at Wellington Hospital have been cancelled because patients failed to show up, forcing the district health board to take action.
Between March 2008 and March 2009, 15,473 people failed to turn up to hospital appointments, about 10 per cent of patients.
The average non-attendance rate across all district health boards in New Zealand is nine per cent.
Capital and Coast District Health Board spokesperson Lindsay Davis said new initiatives were being introduced to reduce non-attendance rates.
Next month the health board will test a text-reminder service, "which has been successful in other DHBs".
He also said attendance rates had improved since the new hospital opened, due to a new patient-focussed booking system and because it is easier for patients to attend appointments. "We have seen our did-not-attend figures figure drop to nine per cent in the first quarter this year, a trend we hope to see continue."
Mr Davis said all district health boards faced the same problems when chasing up patients. These include: changes of address and contact details, difficulties in getting time off work, forgetting about appointments, lack of understand about the need to attend appointments, the hospital being unaware a person had died, and financial issues, such as not being able to afford transport.
"Rates of attendance can vary in clinics from month to month for many reasons, but we find that more chronic illnesses, such as diabetes where the patient might suddenly feel well can result in non-attendance."
In general, the vascular, oncology and obstetric obstetrics departments had the best attendance rates, "because there is a greater personal incentive for patients to attend".
Hutt Hospital has introduced an online booking and cancellation system. The initiative had cut the number of no-shows and re-bookings by 80 per cent.
Between March and November 2008, just 19 operations were cancelled at Hutt Hospital because people failed to show up.
The You Book appointment system was tried out in the dermatology and by ear, nose and throat services late year, and is gradually being introduced for other services.
Mr Davis said Wellington Hosptial had no such service, but was exploring the idea.
He said if patient cannot make an appointment, they should contact the hospital. "There is as a contact number on all appointment letters that asks the patient to contact the booking centre."
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I received a letter for an appointment at the hospital on the day of appointment. I read the letter after i got home from work and about 4 hours after the due appointed time. Next appointment the letter arrived 2 days after the appointment. When i phoned up i got told by hospital "its not their problem, its my problem the letter got to me late". They decided not to make any more appointments for me. And with an atitude like that they wonder why don't turn up?
I have to agree with poster number 1. My husband works night shift & as a result he doesn't wake up until about 2pm. He has Chorn's & IBS. He was last in Hospital about 6 months ago to have part of his lug removed as he kept on getting a collasped lug. His appointments for his lug where made at 10.30am! He gets home from work at 4am; so he had very little sleep on those days. In the end he asked for the latest possible apointment times for his lug.
If he has any appointments before 2pm I have to take time off work & take him to where ever it is that he has to go. Then I have to wait around in the waiting room for him to come out again. Even if the appointment times are for say 1.30pm we can still spend half an hour or more waiting in the waiting room. Then we have to leave the hospital & go & pick up our son from school. My husband then has 3 hours before he has to leave for work.
The Hospital really needs to make notes on people's files about the best time for them (if there is one) & as much as possible stick to it. I know that sometimes the clinc might only run until say 2pm & the person has said that 2.30pm is the best time for them. But, if given enough notice I am sure the person wouldn't mind getting in for a 1.30 pm apointment time.
I have had times where I had appointments myself & didn't get a letter about the day & time. The first I hear about it is a message on our home phone voice mail; that is usually a day or two before my appointment so I have to quickly arrange things at work & for our son to get picked up & taken home by a friend. Or I have take him out of school early. If I do that then I ask for some work for him to do while we are waiting & also a bit of extra home work for him to do.
Part of the problem rests with the hospital's inefficient systems - my wife had an appointment for a follow-up. The trouble was the hospital had scheduled the actual test for a date which was after the follow-up.
She contacted the hospital and the follow-up was rescheduled - even earlier!!
Despite calling the hospital twice nothing happened so we are waiting for the 'no-show' letter to arrive...
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I keep my appointments but I've walked out on them more than once. If the appointment time is say 2.00 pm and I'm still waiting at 2.30 then it's all over - I walk out. I've got a job to do and a life to live and it's gross discourtesy to keep me waiting just because they cant manage their time better.