REASONS FOR MISSED APPOINTMENT FOR ELECTIVE HEAD AND NECK SURGERY AT TERTIARY CARE CENTER

Abstract

Objective: To enumerate the various reasons for missed appointment for the elective head and neck surgery in the department of ENT-Head and Neck surgery.

Materials and methods: It was a descriptive study conducted in the Department of ENT- Head and Neck Surgery of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal from January 2019 to December 2019. Convenient sampling method was used. The study population included all the patients listed in head and neck surgery waiting list but missed their appointment of contact date for surgery. They were contacted to enquire the reason for missed appointment. The data was entered on MS EXCEL sheet and calculations were done in numbers and percentages.

Results: Out of 430 patients on waiting list for elective head and neck surgery, 213 patients missed their appointment. The reasons for missed appointment were surgery already done due to long waiting period in 30% cases and did not want surgery or wanted to postpone surgery due to improvement in symptoms in 29% cases. Eleven percentages of patients did not come due to various personal and familial reasons while for 24% cases we were unable contact them in their provided number.

Conclusion: About 50% patients missed their appointment for surgery and it was mainly due surgery already done at other centers or did not want surgery due improvement in symptoms. In about 25% cases, the reason for missed appointment could not be ascertained due to inability to contact or no reason recorded.

Keywords: elective surgery, head and neck, Missed appointment