Comparison between patients who did not show up for their first visit and the ones who did

Abstract

Introduction

Referrals to psychiatry from primary care has increased in recent years. This can be the result of the global economic situation and represents a problem for specialized care, because patients can’t usually be correctly attended to. On the other hand, patients who don’t come to visits make up other important issues that we must analyze.

Objectives

To analyze the differences between patients who did not come for their first visit and those who did in order to try to describe variables that could be affecting them.

Methods

This is an epidemiological, analytic, prospective study of patients referred to our department. The following variables were collected: (1) referral protocol, (2) reason, (3) demographic data, (4) attendance to appointment, (5) diagnosis impression and (6) destination of referral. The SPSS 19.0 was used to analyze the data.

Results

We studied a total of 1.048 patients for 15 months, of which 20.6% did not come to their first visit. A statistically significant relationship between attendance and gender, year of the appointment, adequate demand or not, previous follow-up and diagnosis was found (Chi²). However, if a logistic regression was carried out, only the adequacy of the demand was included in the model.

Conclusions

Coordination with general practitioners is essential to improve referrals and, most importantly, the attention to patients. If we can agree on the referral criteria, a better-personalized assistance can be offered to patients who have more difficulties in coming (because of characteristics of illness, place of residence, and other variables).

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.