Factors Related to Missed Appointment at Psychiatric Clinic in Songklanagarind Hospital
Wanna Charupanit RN*
Affiliation : * Department of Nursing, Songklanagarind Hospital, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Objective : To determine the associated factors of missed appointments among psychiatric clients
Material and Method: All medical records of the psychiatric patients in the year 2007, age more than 15 years
old, were reviewed retrospectively. The variables included age, occupation, disease/condition, type of
medical welfare, distance from hospital, attending physician category, and number of visit scheduled and
completed.
Results : Around one-fifth of 11,753 (2,423)(20.6%) were missed appointments. Types of therapist (psychiatric
residents), non-welfare clients, and distance from the hospital of more than 50 kilometers significantly
(p < 0.01) increased the rate of missed appointment.
Conclusion : The surveillance of the appointment system implied the visit/non-visit rate, and adherence to the
follow-up appointment, as well as had indirectly reflected the client’s satisfaction, and barriers of medical
services.
Keywords : Psychiatric client, Missed appointment, Factors related
