@article {Wallacebmjqs-2017-007168, author = {David J Wallace and Kristin N Ray and Abbye Degan and Kristen Kurland and Derek C Angus and Ana Malinow}, title = {Transportation characteristics associated with non-arrivals to paediatric clinic appointments: a retrospective analysis of 51 580 scheduled visits}, elocation-id = {bmjqs-2017-007168}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1136/bmjqs-2017-007168}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {Background Prior work has not studied the effects of transportation accessibility and patient factors on clinic non-arrival.Objectives Our objectives were: (1) to evaluate transportation characteristics and patient factors associated with clinic non-arrival, (2) to evaluate the comparability of bus and car drive time estimates, and (3) to evaluate the combined effects of transportation accessibility and income on scheduled appointment non-arrival.Methods We queried electronic administrative records at an urban general pediatrics clinic. We compared patient and transportation characteristics between arrivals and non-arrivals for scheduled appointments using multivariable modeling.Results There were 15 346 (29.8\%) clinic non-arrivals. In separate car and bus multivariable models that controlled for patient and transit characteristics, we identified significant interactions between income and drive time, and clinic non-arrival. Patients in the lowest quartile of income who were also in the longest quartile of travel time by bus had an increased OR of clinic non-arrival compared with patients in the lowest quartile of income and shortest quartile of travel time by bus (1.55; P\<0.01). Similarly, patients in the lowest quartile of income who were also in the longest quartile of travel time by car had an increased OR of clinic non-arrival compared with patients in the lowest quartile of income and shortest quartile of travel time by car (1.21, respectively; P\<0.01).Conclusions Clinic non-arrival is associated with the interaction of longer travel time and lower income.}, issn = {2044-5415}, URL = {https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2017/11/23/bmjqs-2017-007168}, eprint = {https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/early/2017/11/23/bmjqs-2017-007168.full.pdf}, journal = {BMJ Quality \& Safety} }