According to one poll carried out between July and August of last year, 43% of those surveyed in whose homes symptoms of some disease were present and did not attend medical consultation, said they had not done it because there are no appointments or they give them a long time later. Also, close to a quarter could not pay for medicines and consultations But, why other reasons why Mexicans do not attend medical consultations?
Graphic of the day: Reasons why Mexicans do not attend their medical consultations
Why do patients stop going to medical consultation?
Simple and short, the main causes of patient absenteeism not only are they repeated from one center to another, but most of them are avoidable:
- Long distances between the clinic and the patient’s home.
- Inconvenient business hours.
- I forgot about the appointment because it was scheduled well in advance.
- Last minute situations that prevent you from attending.
- They do not see the value of medical examination or believe it is unnecessary. They do not know the impact of their absence, it seems like an act without consequences.
What can you do about it?
Since it is the patients who finally tThey have in their hands the decision to attend or not to a consultation, it is impossible to reduce absenteeism to 100%. However, there is actions we can take to educate the patient and significantly reduce the impact of this problem.
1. Whenever possible, offer teleconsultation as an option
Implement a teleconsultation system that is easy and safe to use. But not only that, let your patients know that you have this option so that they can resort to it in case they have difficulties to travel to your medical center.
2. Optimize your waiting list to offer better times when possible
It is inevitable that patients cancel or reschedule their appointmentsbut you can always offer those available slots to others who have appointments afterward to see if that new schedule suits them better than the one currently assigned to them.
This practice will add you many points, since generally the most popular times are the most comfortable and if you offer an available place within these intervals, your patients will appreciate it and in most cases, They will do their best not to miss.
3. Send them reminders a few days before and up to 24 hours in advance
Especially when they take long treatments or that require several visits, patients prefer to book in advance to avoid going through the reservation process again (calling, waiting, few time options, etc.). And they prefer to reserve a place even with several months ahead. The problem is that in in most cases, they will probably forget about it and won’t feel the need to reschedule if they feel better in health.
The best we can do in this case is remind them of their appointment a few days before, 72 hours is usually an acceptable time, and again up to 24 hours before the appointment to request a more formal confirmation. This creates a feeling of commitment and will make your patients attend or at least call to cancel if something unforeseen arose.
4. Make them aware of the importance of attending and canceling in advance
Most patients forget that there are more people waiting for an appointment to receive medical care and that by not attending, they take away the opportunity for someone else to attend to themselves in that same space. Also, if it’s a follow-up consultation and for the patient it means a lot of travel time or costs for transportation or parking, they are much more likely to let you pass.
In these cases, it is important to educate and raise awareness with clear and timely communication messages. You can even include them in appointment reminders if you send them by email or WhatsApp messages. This way, your patients will at least call to reschedule or cancel early so as not to affect anyone else.
Another piece of advice, especially in the case of regular consultations, as is the case with psychological therapies. You can implement a cancellation policy that requires your patients to notify at least 24 hours in advance to avoid paying for the total or a fraction of the price of the consultation.