Improving first attendance for cognitive behaviour therapy by a partial booking appointment method: Two randomised controlled trials

Abstract

Background: Non-attendance for outpatient appointments is a costly problem. To reduce it the Department of Health recently proposed a partial booking method for outpatient services. Aim: To evaluate the effects of a partial booking method on first-appointment attendance rates in an outpatient cognitive behavioural therapy clinic for anxiety and depression. Method: Out of 148 referrals, 73 were allocated to a fixed appointment method of being sent an initial letter giving an appointment time and request to confirm if they would keep this (a stamped addressed envelope (SAE) was included for reply with the last 41 of the 73 referrals). The other 75 referrals were allocated to a partial booking method in which patients chose a preferred appointment time/day, and booked it with their clinician by postal reply slip or by phone. Results: The partial booking method abolished non-attendance-without-notice and significantly raised the first-attendance rate among all patients from 47% to 85% and from 68% to 85% for fixed-appointment patients who also received a SAE with their initial letter. Just adding an SAE for reply to the fixed appointment method raised the first-attendance rate but this was not significant. Conclusions: Partial booking of first appointments significantly improved attendance rates in an outpatient cognitive behavioural therapy service for anxiety and depression. Declaration of interest: None

• First Attendance
• Partial Booking
• Outpatient Clinic
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy