MISSED APPOINTMENTS IN STROKE CARE: PATTERNS, IMPACT ON RECOVERY, COSTS, AND CLINICAL EFFICIENCY
Author(s)
TI Ologun, BSc, MSc, PhD1, Chidozie Emmanuel Mbada, BSc, MSc, PhD2, AO Ayodeji, BSc, MSc, PhD3, Clara Toyin Fatoye, BSc, MA, Other2, Tadesse Gebrye, BSc, MPH, MSc2, Francis Fatoye, BSc, MBA, MSc, PhD2.
1Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 2Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom, 3University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria.
1Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 2Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom, 3University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria.
OBJECTIVES: Missed appointments remain a major barrier to efficient stroke rehabilitation, contributing to avoidable financial losses, reduced clinical productivity, and interruptions in recovery. This study examined the patterns and impact of missed appointments among stroke survivors on cost, recovery, and clinical efficiency.
METHODS: A 10-year retrospective review of records of 256 stroke survivors attending outpatient physiotherapy appointments at a Nigerian tertiary hospital between 2015 and 2024 was carried out. Data were extracted on missed appointments, age, gender, occupation, location, and mode of payment. The total revenue loss from missed appointments was calculated by multiplying the number of missed appointments by the cost per treatment efficiency was calculated as current asset divided by current liability; and recovery times were estimated.
RESULTS: Across the 10-year period, patients recorded 2,108 missed appointments, with the highest rates observed in December/January and in 2022, and the greatest proportions occurring among those with ischaemic stroke (88.9%) and left-sided affectation (54.2%); overall clinic efficiency was 0.65. The cumulative revenue loss of ₦4,216,000 (≈ $2,903), together with the estimate that 34.8% of missed visits could delay recovery by 4,216 days using a 2-day delay per missed session as the modelling basis, underscores the substantial clinical and economic burden of missed appointments.
CONCLUSIONS: Missed appointments for stroke survivors led to notable challenges, leading to increased costs, inefficiency, and delayed recovery. The economic burden of non-attendance underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve appointment adherence thereby improving health outcomes of stroke survivors.
METHODS: A 10-year retrospective review of records of 256 stroke survivors attending outpatient physiotherapy appointments at a Nigerian tertiary hospital between 2015 and 2024 was carried out. Data were extracted on missed appointments, age, gender, occupation, location, and mode of payment. The total revenue loss from missed appointments was calculated by multiplying the number of missed appointments by the cost per treatment efficiency was calculated as current asset divided by current liability; and recovery times were estimated.
RESULTS: Across the 10-year period, patients recorded 2,108 missed appointments, with the highest rates observed in December/January and in 2022, and the greatest proportions occurring among those with ischaemic stroke (88.9%) and left-sided affectation (54.2%); overall clinic efficiency was 0.65. The cumulative revenue loss of ₦4,216,000 (≈ $2,903), together with the estimate that 34.8% of missed visits could delay recovery by 4,216 days using a 2-day delay per missed session as the modelling basis, underscores the substantial clinical and economic burden of missed appointments.
CONCLUSIONS: Missed appointments for stroke survivors led to notable challenges, leading to increased costs, inefficiency, and delayed recovery. The economic burden of non-attendance underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve appointment adherence thereby improving health outcomes of stroke survivors.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
HSD59
Topic
Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Disease
SDC: Neurological Disorders