Aim: Analysis of how the prior appointment system affects various indicators of attendance.
Design: A multi-centered intervention study. SITE. Faculty of Medicine. Department of Social-Health Sciences.
Patients and other participants: Patients seen in the general consulting-rooms of urban and rural Health Centres during the same months in two successive years, i.e. before and after setting up the prior appointment system.
Interventions: Introduction of the prior appointment programme (a consultation, with the hour and date arranged beforehand). Questionnaire given to the patient at the end of the consultation.
Measurements and main findings: The personal variations of age and sex, and also of those relating to the medical side were compared by means of the questionnaire, before and after the introduction of the prior appointment system. Significant differences were only seen in relation to hospital referral, which tripled; and to the number of prescriptions per person, which increased.
Conclusions: The prior appointment system has meant less waiting-time for patients and a rationalisation of consultation time; but it has not substantially altered the content of the consultation.