Brief Communication Patient Factors Associated With Missed Appointments in Persons With Schizophrenia

outpatient treatment Nonattendance at outpatient appointments has been rec-ognized worldwide as a significant clinical and sys-temic problem (1). Missed appointments are economically costly to mental health systems and personally costly to patients, who experience a greater risk of relapse and read-mission to hospital (2). Can J Psychiatry, Vol 49, No 2, February 2004 145 Objective: There is limited research on factors that may predict missed appointments. This study examined correlates to missed appointments in a sample of persons attending an out-patient schizophrenia program. Method: We measured the rate of missed appointments for 342 outpatients with severe and persistent mental illness (that is, with diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective dis-order, and delusional disorder) attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic over a period of 2 years and 3 months. We collected and analyzed demographic and clinical variables to as-certain differences between patients with high and low rates of nonattendance. Results: Patients who missed 20 % or more of their appointments were significantly youn-ger, were more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and manifested lower levels of commu-nity functioning. Conclusions: This profile may be useful in helping clinicians to schedule appointments for this clinical population, to identify those who may need community outreach services, and to improve their treatment prospects. (Can J Psychiatry 2004;49:145–148) Information on author affiliations appears at the end of the article