Abstract

After investigation of relevant literature, it has been identified that no-show rates and barriers to patient visits are a relevant obstacle for health care clinics. The most common barriers to appointment adherence fell under the categories of transportation and travel, competing priorities for the child or family, and health care services.¹ Surveys have proven to be a frequently used method of collecting data for large populations of a specific group in healthcare, while also providing vital information regarding individuals, and possible explanations for responses. ²  By using a survey, we gathered data about barriers to patient visits in Bullard United Health Centers clinic in Clovis, CA, and we hope to gain insight in an efficient, timely, and cost-efficient manner to improve the understanding of healthcare barriers at the clinic.  The study hopes to identify the top two contributing factors to the patient no-show rate at UHC-Bullard Clinic by June 4th, 2023. 

A sixteen-question survey was created to assess barriers contributing to the no-show rate. The pilot survey will first be administered to fifteen to twenty “no-show” patients via phone call to assess the survey content and flow.  Patients who missed their appointment the day before will be called, and demographic data will be collected. Data Collected showed that many patients missed appointments due to forgetting scheduled appointments, mainly ones that involved XRAYs. This was primarily due to miscommunication between UHC sites and the patients. Moving forward, the research can help improve the No-Show rates by addressing the reminders for X-Ray appointments or scheduling appointments right after the appointment. Further studies can survey more UHC sites to get more data points across the health system.