No-Show Prevention Strategies for Endoscopic Procedures: Narrative Review of the Literature.

The no-show rate in gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is a relevant phenomenon. A "no-show" event is defined as a scheduled procedure for which the patient did not show up. It is often associated with worse health outcomes and is a predictor of higher subsequent acute care utilization. The aim of this study is to highlight which strategies are most effective in preventing "no-shows" in a GI endoscopy unit. Following PRISMA guidelines for reporting, a narrative review of the literature was performed. Articles were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. The review process selected 7 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. This review suggests that an educational telephone intervention by endoscopy nurses decreases the no-show rate, facilitates compliance with exam preparation protocols (colonoscopy in particular), decreases patient anxiety, and results in a beneficial economic outcome for the organization.