The Paediatric Dietetics department at St Peter’s Hospital provides both  inpatient and outpatient service. The outpatient department sees approximately 60 patients per month for a range of clinical conditions. At the start of the project in March 2019, the DNA rate was 15 – 20%, which represents a significant number of missed appointments. The majority of appointments offered at this time were face-to-face with only a small proportion of ad-hoc telephone appointments. The aim of this project was to ensure optimal use of clinical time and resources for Paediatric Dietetics Outpatients by investigating the incidence of DNA’s and to establish whether the capacity of follow-up appointments available met the demand required.

AIM: To ensure the optimal use of clinical time and resources for Paediatric Dietetics Outpatients

OUTCOME: Providing remote telephone appointments had significant benefits on reducing the DNA rate and the majority of patients report they are happy with the current option of dietetic telephone clinics.