Original Research Clinical attendance rate at a tertiary adult audiological service in South Africa.
Mubina Khan, Katijah Khoza-Shangase, Amanda B Thusi and 2 others
PMID 38044862WHAT IT FOUND
84% of first-time adult audiology consultations were attended, but only 47.62% returned for follow-up.
Understanding the appointment reason, positive staff attitudes and reminders were reported attendance reasons. Multiple appointments, work commitments, forgetting, transport and hearing-loss sequelae were reported non-attendance reasons.
Key findings
01Only 47.62% of patients attended follow-up audiology appointments, while 52.38% did not.
02Understanding the appointment reason (57%) and staff attitudes (42%) were the most prominent reasons for attendance.
03Six prominent reasons for non-attendance were multiple appointments, work commitments, forgetting, transport difficulties, healthcare-system perceptions and sequelae of hearing impairment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The reasons for attendance and non-attendance came from only 31 adult patients at one public tertiary hospital in Gauteng, so they may not apply to other clinics or private settings. The study reviewed records from May 2019 to March 2020 and used convenience sampling for the record review, so the attendance rates may not reflect all patients or other times. The paper does not give the number of records behind the 84% initial-consultation rate and the 47.62% follow-up rate, so the precision of those rates is unclear. It describes patterns and patient-reported reasons; it did not test whether reminders, transport support, scheduling changes or staff-attitude strategies improve attendance. The sample was small, and the authors' statement that gender, medical diagnosis and referral source did not seem to influence attendance should not be read as proof that those factors do not matter.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that audiology services are working well because 84% attended initial consultations. Only 47.62% attended follow-up, and the study did not test whether reminders, staff attitudes, transport support or scheduling changes improve attendance.