Patient factors associated with missed appointments in persons with schizophrenia

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 outpatient 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 disorder, 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 ascertain differences between patients with high and low rates of nonattendance. Results: Patients who missed 20% or more of their appointments were significantly younger, were more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and manifested lower levels of community 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.