Project Director

Cooley, Morgan

Department Examiner

Crawford, Elizabeth; Scott, Cathy; Whitted, Jodi

Department

Dept. of Social Work

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Community health clinics have surfaced to provide primary care to low-income individuals, but they are currently hurting due to an overwhelmingly high no-show rate. (Population Reference Bureau, 2016; Nowacki, 2013). While there is extensive research on how to overcome no-show appointments in private medical clinics, clinics that serve a low-income clientele cannot succumb to the same methods of intervention due to the financial and physical barriers community health centers face (Nowacki, 2013). The purpose of this project was to extend upon previous studies on strategies to improve the no-show rate at a local community health center by doing a mixed-method, cross sectional study of low-income adults in a primary care setting. This study explored the patients’ perceptions of barriers and needed resources and also attempted to find correlations between patient demographics and no-show rates. This study found a higher no-show rate in younger patients and also in African American/Black patients. A large number of patients missed appointments due to personal issues and societal barriers. This study also found high patient satisfaction in the overall clinic. Since the purpose of the study was to uncover reasons behind the no-show phenomenon, it was appropriate to discuss interventions that may improve the high no-show rates and overall clinic functionality. Recommendations include implementing a program that provides transportation, increasing exposure of social services provided by the clinic, educating patients on the importance of preventative health care, and completing minimal facility improvements.

IRB Number

#17-135

Degree

B. S. W.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Social Work.

Date

5-2018

Subject

Community health services; Medically uninsured persons -- Medical care

Keyword

No-show rates; Community health centers; Patient perception

Discipline

Social Work

Document Type

Theses

Extent

58 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

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Social Work Commons

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