Repeated missed GP appointments linked to mortality risk
CRH Director Prof Phil Wilson is one of the authors of a ground-breaking journal article published today that describes the results of a data linkage study examining the health outcomes of people with repeated missed primary care appointments. Results show that missed appointments are a significant risk marker for mortality, especially in patients suffering mental health conditions. This important work suggests that exisiting appointment systems may be ineffective and new processes should be considered to help support patients who miss appointments, who may have an increased risk of death.
The article is available for free at BMC Medicine.
Ross McQueenie, David A. Ellis, Alex McConnachie, Philip Wilson and Andrea E. Williamson. Morbidity, mortality and missed appointments in healthcare: a national retrospective data linkage study. BMC Medicine 2019;17:2.