A 2012 study published in PLOS ONE found that the Did Not Attend (DNA) rate at U.K. hospitals was highest on Mondays. The research involved analyzing more than 4.5 million people’s attendance records and 10,000 appointments at a General Practitioner’s office (via NBC News). As it turns out, even if you’re well-meaning enough when Friday rolls around to call and make that appointment, you might not actually make it to the doctor’s office when the time comes.
Why, you might ask? Regular old Monday blues might be to blame. Think about it: the weekend is behind you, and you’re preparing for a long work week ahead. You’re already feeling sad about that prospect. How much more would a doctor’s visit that involves long wait times (and possibly bad news) contribute to all of that? Plus, who wants to take a detour first thing in the week when you can head to work and be done with your Monday sooner rather than later?
Interestingly, the study uncovered that Fridays had the lowest Did Not Attend rate. People were more inclined to turn up at their scheduled appointment at the end of the week than when the week was just starting off. So you may want to think twice about Monday appointments and pick a later day of the week. Also, pick morning hours, as that’s usually recommended as the best time of day to see the doctor.