Reasons why people skip medical appointments

On average, one in four patients in Singapore do not show up for their medical appointments. There are many reasons why people do so. One is that some people may be financially strained and not want to spend more on medical bills. Another reason could be the dread of seeing a doctor or healthcare profession, with any potential bad news or negative experiences in the past. Some procedures may also feel scary to people who aren’t familiar with them, or might feel uncomfortable. Thirdly, time could be an issue, with other commitments like work or family taking precedence, and people may forget to attend. Lastly, homebound elderly may have difficulty keeping appointments because of difficulty in transport or lack of caregivers to supervise them.

For seniors in particular, waiting time to queue for the healthcare professionals can be tiring and arduous if nobody is there to accompany them. Additionally, if their caregiver is an older spouse or someone who lacks the strength, it is difficult to help with things like manual transfers from home to the vehicle.

For seniors whose primary caregiver are their spouses, additional care support may be required due to their own health conditions and physical constraints. Especially if the care recipient needs to be manually transferred from their bed to a wheelchair and then to the vehicle.

If your loved one has behavioural or cognitive issues, they may attend the appointment but end up forgetting the advice or getting confused with their medications. This could cause medication errors.

Consequences of missed medical appointments
Defaulting on medical appointments including routine vaccinations, health screening, treatment, or chronic disease management, can have detrimental effects on our health.

The disease may worsen with delayed treatment and the patient may end up back in hospital with more severe complications. When a disease is caught early or treated in time, it helps to reduce any damage it can cause to the body.

Hence, families will use us for transport to attend: