Date of Conferral

11-13-2024

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Kristina Bohm

Abstract

The identified practice problem of high no-show rates within a mental health clinic setting creates immense challenges to patient care continuity and clinic efficiency. This issue, in the context of nursing practice, needs resolution for improved patient outcomes and the best possible utilization of clinic resources. The practice-focused question to guide this doctoral project is: Will staff education on the importance of consistent appointment reminders improve knowledge? This project's intervention in staff education concerning the importance of consistent appointment reminders focuses on telephone reminders. A literature search used CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and textbooks. All the articles were peer-reviewed and less than 5 years old. The keywords were "no show in a mental health clinic," "impact of no show on the economy," "staff education on decreasing no-show rates in mental health clinics," and "benefits of staff education on appointment reminders." The project aims to increase staff knowledge on appointment reminders and how they impact the patient's attendance. This project draws on the health belief model as the theoretical framework to explain the relationship between the education of staff and change in behavior regarding appointment reminder practices. The analysis strategies included conducting pre- and post-education surveys of five participants. The participants' pretest knowledge score was 90%, and their posttest scores significantly improved to 100%. Based on these findings, this project suggests implementing appointment reminder training for all staff. These interventions aim to enhance patient attendance and boost productivity, ultimately leading to positive social change through improved access to mental health services.

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