Effectiveness of reminder systems on appointment adherence rates

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of reminder systems on ap pointment nonadherence rates in an low-income inner-city clinic population. A total of 2,304 consenting patients were randomly assigned to one of thre e groups: (1) automated telephone reminder, (2) postcard reminder, or (3) n o reminder. In contrast with research on other populations, the results of this study demonstrated no significant difference in appointment adherence rates among the three groups. To aid in the development of more effective i nterventions in the future, individuals not attending their scheduled appoi ntments were interviewed by telephone to determine reason for nonadherence.