Effect of resident turnover on patients' appointment-keeping behavior in a primary care medical clinic.

In this study of 208 patients attending a Primary Care Medical Clinic of a metropolitan teaching hospital, objective measurements were used to assess the effect of discontinuous care as a result of resident turnover on patient appointment-keeping behavior. A change of resident resulted in no significant difference in return visit failure rate, subsequent appointment-keeping rate, or number of patients expressing new problems or requiring chronic therapy plan changes.