[The use of programmed consultation and compliance with the appointment in a teaching program of family medicine. Prospective study of 2,627 cases]. / Uso de la consulta programada y cumplimiento de la cita en un programa docente de medicina de familia. Estudio prospectivo de 2.627 casos.

During the last years, systems of programmed consultation have been included in primary health care. These allow a better knowledge and improvement of the quality of care, and an evaluation of the satisfaction degree of the population. To evaluate the performance and acceptation of a model of programmed consultation in a teaching center of Family and Community Medicine, 2627 protocolized consultations were prospectively studied. The system was shown to be accessible, and was accepted by the population. The rate of lack of compliance with the appointment was 6.4%. The variables associated with compliance were the day of the week, the type of consultation (new patient, first visit or control visit) and the number of appointments per patient. Among the causes of lack of compliance, personal ones predominated over environmental and institutional. Further studies will be required to determine the mechanisms for the improvement of the compliance with the appointment.