Improving access, one reminder at a time

For busy families, older adults, and clients juggling appointments, a reminder can go a long way. At Hearing & Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS), it’s also helping improve access to care.

Over the past year, HSNS expanded appointment reminders across nearly all community audiology sites in Nova Scotia after a successful initial rollout in Sydney, Sydney Mines, and Eskasoni in late 2024.

The reminders, delivered through email, text, or automated phone calls depending on client preference and accessibility needs, have quickly become an important support for both clients and staff.

“Families are so busy and often count on reminders,” says Angela Ryan, Manager at HSNS. “Appointment reminders are so common now that they’ve almost come to be expected, and we’re happy to provide that extra layer of support.”

Even in the early stages, the results of the Audiology Wait Times (AWT) project have been encouraging. Across the three original pilot sites, no-show rates for reminder-eligible appointments dropped from 9% in 2024–25 to 7% in 2025–26. The reminders are also helping clinics rebook cancelled appointments, with one in three cancelled appointments now being filled by another client.

“Our hope is that clients feel more comfortable letting us know when they can’t attend an appointment,” Angela explains. “By creating a more consistent approach to filling cancellations, we can get someone else off the waitlist and into care sooner, particularly those with more urgent concerns.”

Beyond improving scheduling, the project has strengthened collaboration across HSNS teams. Audiologists, clinical administrative assistants, managers, and training staff all played a role in designing how the process works day-to-day within clinics.

“This project has highlighted the adaptability, collaboration, and problem-solving skills of staff across HSNS,” says Angela. “Staff provided meaningful feedback throughout the rollout, and that collaboration has been front and centre from the beginning.”

As the project grew, HSNS developed in-house training and tailored workflows to support staff through implementation and help clinics make better use of available appointments.

“Seeing the impact appointment reminders have had on filling cancelled appointments over the past year has been incredible for Nova Scotians waiting for services,” says Vanda Russell, HSNS Training and Data Assistant.

Clients have shared positive feedback about the new system as well.

“The appointment reminders are terrific,” says Robin Hurst, a client at HSNS. “They include the address we need to go to, which is really helpful.”

As appointment reminders continue expanding across audiology services, HSNS is exploring how similar approaches could support other areas of care in the future, including speech-language pathology and outpatient newborn hearing screening appointments.