Investigating Open-access Booking in New Brunswick Occupational Therapy

Background. Open-access booking (OAB) describes administrative changes to improve system efficiency. However, OAB studies have focused on GP practices and have not applied OAB to other health care services. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to investigate the associations between OAB and administrative outcomes in the Saint John region. Method. Evaluators compared three years of pre-OAB data against two years of post-OAB data using an interrupted-time series design (February 2014-January 2019). Findings. OAB was associated with a 12% jump in the likelihood of being discharged within three months even though clients received an equivalent level of service. OAB was not associated with more missed appointments (similar to 8% vs. similar to 7%). While OAB was not associated with reduced wait times, the post-OAB period handled a larger number of client referrals, which may explain the null finding. Implications. OAB shows potential for improving administrative outcomes, but further research is needed.