01 March 2026 : Clinical Research
Prevalence and Drivers of Missed Healthcare Appointments in Poland: Insights From a 2025 Survey
Agata Olearczyk
ACDEF 1, Kuba Sękowski ABCDEF 2*, Mateusz Jankowski CDE 2, Gabriela Moczeniat DEF 3, Agnieszka Kamińska DE 4, Justyna Grudziąż-Sękowska ABCDEF 2
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.951944
Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e951944
Table 4 Self-declared major reason for missed appointments (no-shows) in medical facility among adults in Poland who declared no-show in the last 12 months (n=142).
| Self-declared major reason for no-show in medical facility | Overall | Sex | Age group (years) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | Male | P | 18–29 | 30–39 | 40–49 | 50–59 | 60+ | P | ||
| I forgot about the appointment | 42.3% | 39.4% | 45.1% | 0.5 | 48.7% | 40.5% | 40.0% | 54.5% | 14.3% | 0.2 |
| I was unable to reach the facility by phone | 27.5% | 32.4% | 22.5% | 0.2 | 25.6% | 32.4% | 23.3% | 27.3% | 28.6% | 0.9 |
| I did not know how to cancel the appointment | 7.7% | 5.6% | 9.9% | 0.3 | 10.3% | 5.4% | 16.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1 |
| I was not aware that appointments should be canceled | 8.5% | 5.6% | 11.3% | 0.2 | 15.4% | 2.7% | 13.3% | 4.5% | 0.0% | 0.2 |
| My health condition worsened/I became suddenly ill | 23.9% | 16.9% | 31.0% | 23.1% | 24.3% | 33.3% | 13.6% | 21.4% | 0.6 | |
| Other reason | 7.0% | 8.5% | 5.6% | 0.5 | 2.6% | 5.4% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 35.7% | |