Reducing No-Show Rates in an Outpatient GI Endoscopy Lab

Author

Mwaba ChiselaFollow

Date of Award

Summer 2024

Document Type

DNP Executive Summary

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Department

Nursing

Faculty Chair

Douglas Stephens, DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC

Preceptor

Joshua Foromera, MD

Abstract

Background: Patients who do not attend their scheduled appointments cost the healthcare industry approximately $150 billion annually. They are at higher risk of missed diagnoses, delay in care, and increased morbidity and mortality.

Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to determine the effectiveness of serial reminders using phone calls and electronic messaging to reduce no-shows for patients scheduled for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy.

Methods: No-show data was retroactively analyzed from June 2023 to December 2023 and compared to post-implementation data from February 2024 to March 2024. For eight weeks, a trained staff team called patients scheduled for endoscopic procedures seven days before the procedure. Reminders were sent via electronic messaging three days before scheduled procedures. One day prior to the procedure, the pre-admission testing team made live calls.

Results: During the eight-week intervention period, the no-show rate was reduced from 2.78% to 0.41%. A two-tailed z-score was used to calculate the statistical significance for the two population proportions. The value of z was calculated at 3.1785, and the p value=0.00148, revealing significance at p<0.05.

Conclusion: The project results were statistically significant, further supporting the efficacy of the intervention. The data emphasizes the importance of implementing a targeted strategy, such as serial reminders, to mitigate appointment no-shows and cancellations, ultimately enhancing healthcare service delivery and patient outcomes.

Recommended Citation

Chisela, Mwaba, "Reducing No-Show Rates in an Outpatient GI Endoscopy Lab" (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 131.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/etds_nursing/131