Improving Patient Appointment Availability through Enhanced Telehealth Services

Background: Access to timely care is a critical component of quality healthcare, particularly in women’s health services, where demand is consistently high. Delays in appointment scheduling and long wait times can compromise patient outcomes, reduce satisfaction, and strain healthcare resources. Addressing these challenges requires systemwide interventions aimed at optimizing patient flow, enhancing access to care, and promoting the use of alternative care modalities such as telehealth. In this project, we are testing the impact of targeted interventions on appointment wait times, patient throughput, telehealth utilization, patient satisfaction, and the no-show rates at a Women’s Health Clinic.

Local Problem: Extended periods for the next available appointments at the Women’s Health Clinics in Wazarat Primary Care Centre have reached up to 75 days, compromising women's access to essential healthcare and underscoring the need for effective intervention.

Methods: In the third quarter of 2024, the quality improvement project implemented virtual assessments for all late scheduled appointments at the Women’s Health Clinic in Wazarat Primary Care Centre, Prince Sultan Military Medical City. This involved conducting necessary tests, timely cancer screenings, and referring patients to follow-up services. Follow-up appointments were scheduled remotely to discuss results and monitor treatment, while in-person visits were reserved for cases requiring clinical examinations, such as Pap smears.

Interventions: In this project, we conducted virtual assessments via phone calls for all late-scheduled appointments. This approach prioritized around 900 patients who were waiting for in-person appointments, thus minimizing unnecessary visits. Comprehensive virtual follow-ups communicated diagnostic results, fostering ongoing therapeutic relationships and enhancing patient engagement.

Results: The intervention resulted in a 75% reduction in the third next available appointment time (from 75 days to 15) and an 85% decrease in the no-show rates. Also, patients’ satisfaction level was improved, demonstrating the success of the project.

Conclusions: This project established a responsive healthcare framework that promotes preventive care and optimizes resource allocation. Our innovative solutions tackle the unique challenges of improving appointment availability and serve as a model for integrating virtual care into traditional health systems, demonstrating our commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality for women.