Document Type : original article
Authors
1 Department of Health Information Technology, Ferdows School of Allied Medicine and Public Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
2 Eye Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
3 Emam Reza hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
Background: Missing scheduled appointments can lead to serious complications for infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, myopia, and amblyopia, which may cause permanent vision loss and impact the child's future. Furthermore, non-attendance can lead to clinician dissatisfaction, inefficient healthcare resource use, and reduced quality of care. To address this, evaluating non-attendance rates for initial and follow-up appointments is essential, understanding the contributing factors and developing interventions to improve adherence. Additionally, we need to explore the reasons behind parents' non-attendance for premature infants with ROP and gather their views on appointment reminder systems.
Method: This qualitative study utilized a content analysis approach at the ROP clinic of the Khatam Eye Hospital in Mashhad from 2021 to 2022. The study focused on parents of premature infants with ROP who had missed at least one appointment. Participants were selected using purposive sampling and were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Thematic content analysis was employed to identify the reasons for missed appointments.
Results: Of the 36 participants, 24 (66%) were female. The mean age of the parents was 37 years old. Reasons for non-attendance were categorized into seven main groups, including cultural, economic, geographical, parental indifference to receiving services, infrastructure and management issues, preference for private over government physicians, and other reasons, with 28 subcategories.
Conclusion: Multiple key factors were identified that contributed to parents not attending the ROP clinic. These factors include cultural, economic, and geographic considerations, a lack of interest in receiving services, infrastructure challenges, and a preference for private-sector physicians over those in the public sector.
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