Non-Attendance in Hospital Appointments Based on Data From the Entire Region of Southern Denmark: Descriptive Analyses and Predictive Factors

Bente Mertz Nørgård,1,2 Maria Iachina,1,2 Jette Ammentorp,3 Daria M Schwalbe,3 Karin Yde Waidtløw,3 Luna Richardt,3 Morten Sodemann4,5 1Center for Clinical Epidemiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; 2Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; 3Centre for Research in Patient Communication, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; 4Department of Infectious Diseases and The Migrant Health Outpatient Clinic, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; 5Research Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, DenmarkCorrespondence: Bente Mertz Nørgård, Center for Clinical Epidemiology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, Entrance 216, Odense, DK-5000, Denmark, Tel +45 2133 3258, Email [email protected]: We aimed to analyse the characteristics related to non-attendance at general outpatient hospital clinics in patients aged ≥ 18 years. An increased focus has been directed towards patient non-attendance at hospital appointments as it is related to patient risk and waste of resources in the healthcare system.Patients and Methods: In this cohort study, we retrieved data from the entire Region of Southern Denmark on i) non-attendance from the electronic medical journals from January 1, 2021 until December 31, 2022, and ii) data on all attended appointments from Danish health registries in the same period. We analysed the overall proportion of non-attendance, and characteristics of patients with non-attendance, relative to those who attended an appointment. We examined hospital type and patient demographics (age, sex, comorbidity, socioeconomic factors).Results: Included were 614,157 patients, of which 12,244 were patients with a first non-attendance and 601,913 patients with a first attended appointment. The overall non-attendance proportion was 2.0%. The most prevalent type of underlying disease among non-attendant patients was musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases (10%), which was also the most prevalent group of diseases among patients who attended hospital appointments (11%). In the regression model, compared to those who attended, the two strongest associations for non-attendance were patients aged 18– 34 years, aOR=2.69 (95% CI 2.52– 2.85), and patients diagnosed with mental/behavioral disorders, aOR=2.60 (95% CI 2.39– 2.82). Other sociodemographic factors were associated with non-attendance including male sex (aOR=1.90 (95% CI 1.82– 1.96)), patients aged 35– 54 years (aOR=1.89 (95% CI 1.78– 2.01)), living alone (aOR=1.72 (95% CI 1.65– 1.79)), and not Danish nationality (aOR=1.65 (95% CI 1.57– 1.74)).Conclusion: Based on data from the Region of Southern Denmark (corresponding to 20% of the Danish population), the non-attendance proportion was low (2.0%). More research is needed, including other data-sets validating our findings, validation of registration practices, and qualitative research aspects of non-attendance. Keywords: hospital appointments, specialized hospital, regional hospitals, non-attendance, cancellation, organization, failed appointments