--- title: "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis." url: "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/" type: "study" language: de-DE description: "Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as \"missed appointments\", \"patient no-show\", or \"did not attend (DNA)\" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before." --- # Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. > Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.: Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as "missed appointments", "patient no-show", or "did not attend (DNA)" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before. Evidenzgrad A, Risk of Bias unclear. ## Quelle Autor:innen: Kalin Werner, Sara Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, Reem F Alsukait, Reem Alshehri, Christopher H Herbst, Mohammed Alhajji Jahr: 2023 Journal/Quelle: BMC health services research DOI: 10.1258/135581907780279567 APA: Werner, K., Alsuhaibani, S. A., Alsukait, R. F., Alshehri, R., Herbst, C. H., Alhajji, M., & Lin, T. K. (2023). Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC health services research. https://doi.org/10.1258/135581907780279567 ## Forschungsfrage / Summary Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as "missed appointments", "patient no-show", or "did not attend (DNA)" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before. ## Methode und Evidenzqualität [Studien](/studien/)typ: Studie Risk of Bias: unclear Evidenzgrad: A ## Key Findings Evidence-Fill Queue: Findings werden aus Volltext, Abstract und Review-Notizen konsolidiert. ## Effektgrößen / Outcomes Evidence-Fill Queue: Effektgrößen und Outcomes werden aus Volltext-Extraktionen priorisiert. ## Conversion-Implikationen Evidence-Fill Queue: Conversion-Implikationen werden nur ausgespielt, wenn Mechanismus, Kontext und Messgröße ableitbar sind. ## Limitationen Evidence-Fill Queue: Limitationen werden aus Risk-of-Bias-, Sample- und Methodikfeldern ergänzt. ## Verknüpfte Konzepte - [Default Effect](/konzepte/default-effect/) ## Unterstützte Claims - [Der untersuchte Consumer-Psychology-Effekt ist potenziell relevant für Conversion-Optimierung, benötigt aber noch genauere Claim-Extraktion.](/claims/consumer-psychology-effect-relevant-to-conversion/) ## FAQ ### Worum geht es in dieser Studie? Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.: Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as "missed appointments", "patient no-show", or "did not attend (DNA)" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before. Evidenzgrad A, Risk of Bias unclear. ### Welche Evidenz wird genutzt? Die Seite nutzt Claims, Studien, Use Cases und Quellen aus dem SurrealDB Knowledge Graph der Conversion-Psychologie-Wissensbasis. ### Ist die Ausgabe auf Deutsch verfügbar? Ja. Alle menschenlesbaren Inhalte und Agent-Ausgaben sind standardmäßig deutsch. ## Quellen - Werner, K., Alsuhaibani, S. A., Alsukait, R. F., Alshehri, R., Herbst, C. H., Alhajji, M., & Lin, T. K. (2023). Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC health services research. https://doi.org/10.1258/135581907780279567 [Quelle öffnen](https://doi.org/10.1258/135581907780279567) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/#website", "url": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de", "name": "conversion.stevebaka.de", "description": "Deutschsprachige Wissensbasis und Audit-Plattform für evidenzbasierte Conversion-Psychologie.", "publisher": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/#organization", "name": "conversion.stevebaka.de", "url": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de", "parentOrganization": { "@id": "https://stevebaka.de/#organization" }, "sameAs": [ "https://stevebaka.de" ] }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/autoren/steve-baka/#person", "name": "Steve Baka", "url": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/autoren/steve-baka/", "sameAs": [ "https://stevebaka.de" ], "jobTitle": "Conversion- und AI-Infrastructure-Berater", "knowsAbout": [ "Conversion-Psychologie", "Verkaufspsychologie", "Behavioral Science", "GraphRAG", "SurrealDB", "D-A-CH Conversion Optimierung" ] }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#webpage", "url": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/", "name": "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.", "description": "Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as \"missed appointments\", \"patient no-show\", or \"did not attend (DNA)\" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before.", "inLanguage": "de-DE", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/#website" }, "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#breadcrumb" }, "datePublished": "2026-07-01", "dateModified": "2026-07-04", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#article" } }, { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#article", "headline": "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.", "name": "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.", "description": "Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as \"missed appointments\", \"patient no-show\", or \"did not attend (DNA)\" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before.", "inLanguage": "de-DE", "author": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/autoren/steve-baka/#person" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/#organization" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#webpage" }, "datePublished": "2026-07-01", "dateModified": "2026-07-04", "citation": [ "https://doi.org/10.1258/135581907780279567" ], "mentions": [], "text": "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non attendance: a systematic review and meta analysis.: Appointment non attendance often referred to as \"missed appointments\", \"patient no show\", or \"did not attend (DNA)\" causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non attendance, behavioural economics oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19 item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before. Evidenzgrad A, Risk of Bias unclear. Quelle. Autor:innen: Kalin Werner, Sara Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, Reem F Alsukait, Reem Alshehri, Christopher H Herbst, Mohammed Alhajji Jahr: 2023 Journal/Quelle: BMC health services research DOI: 10.1258/135581907780279567 APA: Werner, K., Alsuhaibani, S. A., Alsukait, R. F., Alshehri, R., Herbst, C. H., Alhajji, M., & Lin, T. K. (2023). Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non attendance: a systematic review and meta analysis. BMC health services research. https://doi.org/10.1258/135581907780279567 Forschungsfrage / Summary. Appointment non attendance often referred to as \"missed appointments\", \"patient no show\", or \"did not attend (DNA)\" causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non attendance, behavioural economics oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19 item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of remind", "learningResourceType": "Evidence source", "isBasedOn": [ "https://doi.org/10.1258/135581907780279567" ], "about": [] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Startseite", "item": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.", "item": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/" } ] }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://conversion.stevebaka.de/studien/10-1258-135581907780279567/#faq", "inLanguage": "de-DE", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Worum geht es in dieser Studie?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.: Appointment non-attendance - often referred to as \"missed appointments\", \"patient no-show\", or \"did not attend (DNA)\" - causes volatility in health systems around the world. Of the different approaches that can be adopted to reduce patient non-attendance, behavioural economics-oriented mechanisms (i.e., psychological, cognitive, emotional, and social factors that may impact individual decisions) are reasoned to be better suited in such contexts - where the need is to persuade, nudge, and/ or incentivize patients to honour their scheduled appointment. The aim of this systematic literature review is to identify and summarize the published evidence on the use and effectiveness of behavioural economic interventions to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. We systematically searched four databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) for published and grey literature on behavioural economic strategies to reduce no-shows for health care appointments. Eligible studies met four criteria for inclusion; they were (1) available in English, Spanish, or French, (2) assessed behavioural economics interventions, (3) objectively measured a behavioural outcome (as opposed to attitudes or preferences), and (4) used a randomized and controlled or quasi-experimental study design. Our initial search of the five databases identified 1,225 articles. After screening studies for inclusion criteria and assessing risk of bias, 61 studies were included in our final analysis. Data was extracted using a predefined 19-item extraction matrix. All studies assessed ambulatory or outpatient care services, although a variety of hospital departments or appointment types. The most common behaviour change intervention assessed was the use of reminders (n = 56). Results were mixed regarding the most effective methods of delivering reminders. There is significant evidence supporting the effectiveness of reminders (either by SMS, telephone, or mail) across various settings. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding alternative interventions and efforts to address other heuristics, leaving a majority of behavioural economic approaches unused and unassessed. The studies in our review reflect a lack of diversity in intervention approaches but point to the effectiveness of reminder systems in reducing no-show rates across a variety of medical departments. We recommend future studies to test alternative behavioural economic interventions that have not been used, tested, and/or published before. Evidenzgrad A, Risk of Bias unclear." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Welche Evidenz wird genutzt?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Die Seite nutzt Claims, Studien, Use Cases und Quellen aus dem SurrealDB Knowledge Graph der Conversion-Psychologie-Wissensbasis." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Ist die Ausgabe auf Deutsch verfügbar?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Ja. Alle menschenlesbaren Inhalte und Agent-Ausgaben sind standardmäßig deutsch." } } ] } ] } ```