The continuing emergency care clinic: improving patient compliance with follow-up care.

Traditionally, emergency patients have been noted for high rates of noncompliance with appointments in outpatient clinics for follow-up care. S study of cases referred for follow-up care at the outpatient clinic of The Medical College of Pennsylvania showed that less than 20% of the patients kept their appointments. To cope with this problem, a Continuing Emergency Care (CEC) clinic was established on the assumption that a change in structural environment could change noncompliance behavior patterns. The clinic is a small unit near the emergency department, separate from the larger hospital outpatient clinic area. Patient compliance data were collected on each case referred to the CEC clinic during a three-month period. Findings showed a threefold increase in appointment compliance over the previous study in which referrals were made to the hospital clinics.