Causes of appointment attendance, nonattendance, and cancellation in outpatient consultations at a university hospital.

BACKGROUND: Nonattendance to scheduled appointments in outpatient clinics is a frequent problem in ambulatory medicine with an impact on health systems and patients' health. The characterization of nonattendance is fundamental for the design of appropriate strategies for its management. AIMS: To identify causes of nonattendance of scheduled ambulatory medical appointments by adult patients. METHODS: Case and two controls study nested in a prospective cohort. A telephone-administered questionnaire was applied within the first 72 hours to identify the causes of attendance, nonattendance, or cancellation in patients who had a scheduled appointment to which they had been present, absent, or cancelled. RESULTS: A total of 150 absences (cases), 176 attendances, and 147 cancellations (controls) in a prospective cohort of 160 146 scheduled appointments (2012/2013) were included. According to self-reports in telephone interviews, the most frequent causes of nonattendance were forgetting 44% (66), unexpected competing events 15.3% (23), illness or unwellness 12% (18), work-related inconvenience 5.3% (8), transport-related difficulties 4.7% (4), and cause that motivated appointment scheduling already resolved 4.7% (4). DISCUSSION: The main cause of nonattendance is forgetting the scheduled appointment, but there is a proportion of different causes that do not respond to reminders but could respond to different strategies.

Características clínicas de pacientes pediátricos internados por Influenza A: comparación de dos subtipos virales (H1N1) y (H3N2) / Clinical characteristics of pediatric patients hospitalized due to Influenza A: comparison of two viral subtypes (H1N1 and H3N2)

Influenza is a respiratory disease ocasionated by influenza virus A and B. Is a disease with high morbi-mortality world-wide. Influenza produces an acute febrile respiratory illness with cough, headache and myalgias for 3-4 days, with simptoms that may persist for as long as 2 weeks. There are three types of influenza virsuses: A, B and C, of whom the type a has a higher ability to originate pandemias and is subclassified according to their surface antigens: hemaglutinine (H) and neuraminidase (N). Of the capacity of mutation that has the influenza virus and the consequent expression of different proteins, can modify its virulence. The transmission route is through direct contact with secretetory repirations. The transmission route is through direct contact with secretetory repirations. The incubation period is scant, between 12-72 hs. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics demographicals and evolutive of pediatric patients hospitalized because by Influenze A: subtypes H1N1 (pdm2009) and H3N2. An observative study was performed, retrospective, using data of hospitalizations of children during the years 2016 and 2017 with influenza A confirmed by laboratory. The study also, aimed to evaluate if the viral subtype constitutes a factor of risk, independent for complicated hospitalization (admission to intensive care and/or development of complications) in hospitalized children. The results obtained in the study are detailed in the paper. In conclusion, both viral subtypes affected mainly to children with risk factors. The viral subtype H1N1 was related with higher severety in hospitalized children. is of most importance to perform preventive works, specially in vulnerable groups, offering a good cover of immunizations. The clinical parameters arae commented (AU)