Exploring the Causes of Missed Appointments at Ibra Hospital in the Sultanate of Oman: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives Understanding the causes behind missed outpatient appointments is essential for implementing targeted interventions to improve patient attendance and healthcare delivery. This study aimed to explore the reasons for missed appointments at Ibra Hospital, Sultanate of Oman, from the perspectives of both patients and healthcare workers. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 420 adult patients who missed scheduled OPD appointments across various clinics, including general surgery, ENT, dermatology, and others, at Ibra Hospital between January and June 2025. Patients or their guardians were contacted via telephone using a structured questionnaire adapted from prior research. Additionally, healthcare workers were surveyed to gather their perspectives on the causes of missed appointments. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize department-wise defaulters and reasons for nonattendance. Results General surgery (17.03%), ENT (16.79%), and dermatology (14.32%) clinics reported the highest number of missed appointments. The most common reasons cited for missed appointments included forgetting the appointment (12.09%), lack of leave from work (9.13%), transportation problems (6.41%), and rescheduling (6.91%). Notably, 29.87% of participants provided no reason or did not respond; further inquiry revealed explanations such as clinical improvement (17.9%) and bypassing the appointment system by attending as walk-ins (16.4%). Healthcare staff identified transportation difficulties and communication gaps as major contributing factors. Conclusions Missed appointments at Ibra Hospital are influenced by a combination of forgetfulness, work constraints, logistical challenges, and system-related issues. Tailored interventions could help reduce appointment nonattendance, thereby improving hospital efficiency and continuity of patient care. Further multi-center studies are recommended to validate and generalize these findings across Oman.