Shoffner Jill, Staudt Marlys, Marcus Sue, Kapp Sharon
Department of Social Work, Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital and Center, Inc., TN, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 2007 Jun;58(6):872-5. doi: 10.1176/ps.2007.58.6.872.
This study examined whether phone reminders increased attendance at intake and therapy appointments in an Appalachian community mental health center and whether it mattered who (therapist or staff) made the call.
One of three conditions (no reminder calls, therapist made calls, or staff made calls) was assigned to each week of the nine-week study. During the study period, 451 appointments were scheduled (310 for therapy and 141 for intake). Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to analyze the data.
Phone reminders were effective for intake appointments when therapists made direct contact with patients (43% for no contact and 94% for direct therapist contact). The other conditions did not significantly increase appointment keeping. As a result of these findings, therapists were asked to place reminder calls to patients scheduled for intake appointments for a ten-week period. Findings from the second pilot study replicated findings from the first, with direct contact resulting in significantly more kept appointments.
Direct contact with therapists before initial appointments may increase appointment keeping by patients.
本研究考察了电话提醒是否能提高阿巴拉契亚社区心理健康中心初诊及治疗预约的就诊率，以及打电话的人（治疗师还是工作人员）是否重要。
在为期九周的研究中，每周被分配到三种情况之一（无提醒电话、治疗师打电话、工作人员打电话）。在研究期间，共安排了451次预约（310次治疗预约和141次初诊预约）。采用混合效应逻辑回归分析数据。
当治疗师直接与患者联系时，电话提醒对初诊预约有效（无联系时为43%，治疗师直接联系时为94%）。其他情况并未显著提高预约就诊率。基于这些发现，要求治疗师在为期十周的时间里给预约初诊的患者打提醒电话。第二项试点研究的结果重复了第一项研究的结果，直接联系导致更多预约得到遵守。
初诊前与治疗师直接联系可能会提高患者的预约就诊率。
