Can a patient-focussed bookings approach reduce patient non-attendance in postnatal and continence physiotherapy?

Abstract

Background: There are unique life-stage and psychosocial barriers to attendance for women referred for postnatal and continence physiotherapy. These barriers affect access to care, clinic utilization and patient waiting lists. In a patient-focused bookings system, the patient is invited to contact the health service to book their appointment at a time and day that suits them, increasing patient choice and engagement in the booking process. Methods: A patient-focussed bookings approach was implemented in outpatient women's health and continence physiotherapy clinics across four sites of a public health service in Australia. Waiting time, attendance, clinic utilization and response data were collected for 6 months after implementation to assess feasibility and effectiveness compared to the same 6 months of the preceding year. Results: Non-attendance to initial appointments decreased from 23.64%, to 13.04%, with 26.2% more new patients seen and a 14.74% reduction in waiting times during implementation. Response rates did not appear to be affected by whether patients understood English and patients were satisfied with the new bookings approach. Conclusions: Patient-focused bookings can be effectively implemented in a postnatal and continence physiotherapy outpatient setting, resulting in reduced non-attendance and wait times and improved clinic utilization.