The Impact of a Reminder Email on the Return to Care Behavior of Infertilitypatients after a First Office Visit: A Quality Improvement Project

Abstract

Research Question: To determine if an email to patients who had not returned after one visit with an infertility specialist would change return to care behavior. This was a quality improvement project initially.

Design: For a set time period, eligible patients who attended one visit but did not return to care received an email; 657 subsequent patients did not. The email asked questions about that visit, offered support, contact information for the employee sending the email and why they had not returned. 

Results: All patients were followed for 11 months after their initial visit. Forty-one percent of the email group returned to care, compared to 32% who did not (P<.0014).  For those who gave a reason why they hadn’t returned, 32% of the respondents conceived on their own, 3% transferred to another infertility center, 31% were taking a break, 3% were unhappy with their care, and 31% made a return to care appointment. Thus, the email was associated with a significant increase in return to care when compared to women who did not receive an email. The most common reason why patients did not return was spontaneous conception closely followed by taking a break.

Conclusions: A compassionate email may increase return to care behavior

Funding Statement: None to declare.

Declaration of Interests: None to declare.

Ethics Approval Statement: Based on the information in the Committee on Clinical Investigations Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center POLICY & PROCEDURES manual, the authors of this manuscript in consultation with the department IRB liaison, determined that this project did not constitute “research” and thus did not require an IRB application.

Keywords: Return to care, infertility, first visit, compassionate care